


There's Norway in Hell This Could Ever Work Out

by TheGoodShipLuLo (InkwellWarriors)



Category: Doctor Who, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, Sherlock (TV), Supernatural, The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies), Torchwood
Genre: Bad Parenting, Crossover, Detention, Dysfunctional Family, Everyone is adorable, Exchange Student, F/M, Family Issues, High School AU, Kid!Castiel, Lokifer - Freeform, LuLo - Freeform, M/M, Norway (Country), Norwegian, adorable brothers, kid!Dean, kid!Sam, so much more to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-03
Updated: 2014-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-20 04:59:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 77,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/581543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkwellWarriors/pseuds/TheGoodShipLuLo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucifer Milton has enough problems in his life without Loki Solberg coming in to mix it all up. But the exchange student and his Norwegian charm seem determined to make it in anyway. What begins as a hesitant friendship soon becomes a more complex journey that neither of them ever bargained for.<br/>main pairing: Lucifer/Loki<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. DAY 0: In the Beginning

_Tuesday, DAY 0_

       Loki peered around the corner of the locker section he was hiding behind, a gleeful smile on his face. Ever since moving here from Norway a month ago, Loki had been trying to make friends with his fellow students. About a week ago, after being rejected time and time again, he gave up on having friends and decided that the only way he was going to survive this school year was to amuse himself. Even if his amusement came at the expense of another. He had always been a talented prankster, but he had not had much of a chance to use his skills until now. Speaking of now...

       The girl, Bela or something, was approaching her locker. She had plowed into him in the hallway yesterday, making him fall down and drop his books. He had been late to class because of her. His pranks were never anything mean or harmful, just a bit of fun that made him and others laugh.

       Her fingers twisted the dial of her combination lock. Loki bit his lower lip in anticipation. the locker door opened -- and there was a mild explosion. His expression of mirth froze then disappeared instantly when he heard her scream and watched her fall to the floor, her hand clutching her forehead. What? Where were the streamers that were supposed to fly out? He saw red seeping through the spaces between her fingers and he paled further.

       Loki ran to where the junior was sitting, hands flailing and quivering as he tried to help.He pressed his hand over hers as he looked up at the locker. The mechanism he had made was hanging oddly, the streamers still furled and ready to launch. His eyes scanned the ground and caught on a spatter of blood around a small pin. It must have been loose and flown out instead of triggering the streamers. He became aware he was babbling in a panicked voice.

       “I’m sorry, I am so so sorry, I I didn’t mean for you to get hurt, I never want anyone to get hurt, it was supposed to be funny, I’m so sorry, please forgive me,” Loki felt tears forming in his eyes as he watched the girl cry in pain and felt the blood on his fingers. A glance around confirmed a crowd had gathered around them. He snapped at them in annoyance and worry, “Someone get Doctor Watson! She’s bleeding!”

        “I’m right here, stay calm. Excuse me, please move,” came a calm voice from the other side of the ring of students. They parted and the sweater-clad school doctor walked through followed by one of the school’s security officers. Doctor John Watson knelt on the other side of the girl from Loki, giving both of them a reassuring smile before turning to the man in uniform. “Lestrade, can you...?” he gestured to the other students craning their heads to get a better look.

       The man nodded and turned to the kids, shooing them away. “Okay, kids, go to class, come on, off with you.”

        “I need to get to my locker-” one smart-aleck protested. Officer Lestrade gently pushed him away from the scene.

        “You can get your stuff later, okay?”

       While Lestrade cleared the area of on-lookers, John put on gloves and gently moved Loki and Bela’s hands away from the wound, handing Loki a disinfectant wipe to wipe his hands with. Loki was shaking, though not as bad as Bela. John’s voice was soothing, though, and calmed both of them. “There we go, let me see... Doesn’t look too bad, just a scratch.” He gently wiped away some of the blood to get a better look at it. “Yeah, not too serious, head wounds just bleed a lot. I’ll still need you to come back to my office with me. Here, press this to the cut, Miss...?”

       Bela sniffed and held the sterile gauze pad to her forehead. “Bela Talbot.”

        “Ok, Miss Talbot, can you stand on your own?” Bela nodded but John still helped her up. Lestrade called for a janitor in the background as John looked at Loki. “You’re the new exchange student, correct?”

       Loki nodded, his gaze going from Bela to John to his feet. He could feel his cheeks heating up. “Loki Solberg. I’m sorry. It was an accident....” his voice tapered off and he bit his lip again, this time to keep from crying. John gave him a sympathetic look.

        “I’m sure it was,” he said. “Could you follow me, please? You need to wash your hands, and Officer Lestrade and I would like to hear your side of the story.”

       Loki nodded and trudged after them, giving a guilty glance to his prank-turned-weapon. He washed his hands twice once they got in the doctor’s office, hating the feeling of blood on his hands. John disinfected the cut and Loki felt another stab of guilt at Bela’s pained cry. Once she was bandaged and cleaned, the teenagers went with the adults to Officer Lestrade’s office. Loki sat out in the little waiting room in an uncomfortable plastic chair while Bela told them what she had experienced. Then it was Loki’s turn.

       He held his head high as he went into the office. It was a nice office, decorated with plants and some things of personal significance to the man behind the desk. Dr. Watson was sitting at the end of the desk, out of the way. There was a voice recorder set up to record the questions the officer would ask and Loki’s answers. The Norwegian swallowed and sat down, clasping his hands together so they wouldn’t shake. He had never gotten in trouble like this back home-- in Norway, and here he was not two months in and already sitting in front of the security officer. The man with grey hair finished writing something down and looked at Loki. The teen tried not to squirm under his sharp eyes.

        “Now,” Lestrade began, his tone calm and non-accusing, “why don’t we start with your name and where you were when the incident happened?”

        “My name is Loki Solberg, “Loki was proud that his voice didn’t shake, “and I was behind one of the other locker sections when Bela got hurt. It...it’s my fault. I didn’t mean to or want to hurt her though, please believe me!”

        “I do,” Lestrade replied, just as calm as before Loki’s outburst. Loki’s fingers loosened their grip slightly. “How was it your fault?”

        “I set up this device in her locker,” Loki confessed, looking away from the adults as his cheeks and the tips of his ears flushed with embarrassment, “it was supposed to be a prank. It would shoot streamers out when she opened her locker, all at angles so that none hit her. But... I think the trigger pin came loose somehow. It flew out when she opened the door instead of releasing the streamers. I never wanted anyone to get hurt.” His voice got softer and he hunched in his chair a little. “It was supposed to be funny. I’m really sorry. Is Bela going to be okay?” he directed that last question at Dr. Watson, who gave him a small smile and nodded. “Good.”

       Lestrade tapped his pen against the desk, bringing Loki’s attention back to him. “So you broke into Bela’s locker to set up this device? When?”

        “This morning,” Loki admitted sheepishly, the red burning on the crests of his ears. “It was stupid, I know.”

        “And against the rules,” Lestrade stated. Loki flinched, waiting for his punishment. “Now, since this is your first time getting in trouble, I would normally let you off with a warning. However, accidental or not, a girl did get hurt because of your prank and you did break into her locker. For that, I’m sending you to one month of detention.” He wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to Loki. His gaze turned sympathetic and kind. “You are a good student and a good kid, Loki. I trust I won’t see you in here again.”

        “No, sir!” Loki breathed out a sigh of some relief, the knot loosening in his chest. He could handle detention, or so he hoped. It didn’t sound too bad, anyway.

        “And no more pranks, Loki.”

        “Yes, sir.”

        “Okay, you’re free to go now. Do you need a pass to your next class?” Loki nodded and Lestrade filled out a slip for him. “Have a good rest of the day, Loki.”

       Loki stood and walked quickly out of the office, exhaling the rest of the breath he’d been holding. He was surprised to see Bela was still out in the waiting room. She seemed to have been waiting for him, though she kept a wary distance from him as she matched her step with his down the hall.

        “You put that thing in my locker?” She asked, curious and a touch accusing.

        “Yes. I’m sorry you got hurt.”

       Bela was quiet for a few moments then asked, “Were you the one that pranked Mrs. Wiler?”

       Loki looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, cautious as he didn’t know her intentions. “Yeees...” he replied hesitantly. She grinned.

        “Cool. That was hilarious. Mrs. Wiler looked like she was ready to run screaming.”

       Loki let a small smile quirk his lips. “Yes, it was entertaining. Don’t tell anyone it was me though, okay?”

       Bela nodded and stopped. Loki finally noticed they were by the lockers again. The tile floor around her locker was shiny and smelled of the cheap disinfectant the janitors used. “Yeah, deal. Can you get this thing out of my locker, though?”

       Loki nodded and pulled out a multitool he carried with him. He undid the clips and released the magnets that held it mostly in place. Bela muttered a distracted thank you and grabbed some books. Loki left and walked quickly to his next class, slipping in when the teacher had stopped talking. He gave him the excuse note and walked to his seat, feeling the stares of his classmates burn on him. The remainder of the day was a blur and Loki found himself looking at the paper that informed him of his detention period throughout the day. It started the next day.

 

***” _(italics inside parenthesis)_ ” is dialogue in Norwegian***

        “ _(Detention?!)_ ” Loki winced as his dad - well, his adoptive dad, - swore vehemently in Norwegian. “ _(What the devil did you do?)_ ”

        “ _(There was an accident with-)_ ” Loki started to explain, but Odin held up his hand, his face angry and disgusted.

        “ _(Nevermind, I don’t care. This means you’ll miss the bus home.)_ ”

        “ _(Yes,)_ ” Loki replied quietly, clasping his hands together behind his back.

       Odin huffed out an annoyed breath. “ _(See if Thor can pick you up when he gets done with work. It’s your fault you’re in trouble, so you must make arrangements. I don’t care if you have to walk home.)_ ”

       Odin stormed out of the room, leaving Loki cringing into himself. A soft warm hand on his cheek made him look up into the kind face of his adoptive mother, Frigga. He gave her a tiny smile, but he could also see how disappointed she was. She left, following her husband. Loki’s shoulders sagged and he went to find his “brother”, Thor. The blonde had just gotten home from work and gave Loki a hug when the shorter male approached, ruffling his hair.

        “ _(How is my little brother?)_ ” he boomed cheerfully, hanging up his coat. Thor had a naturally loud voice, so even his quiet tones were like thunder. They spoke Norwegian at home as a force of habit, though they would speak English in public. Their parents -Thor’s by birth- were not very fluent in English so they almost always spoke Norwegian. The Norwegian at home was something familiar Loki clung to in this unfamiliar land.

        “ _(Not so good,)_ ” Loki confessed, fixing the hair Thor had messed up, “ _(I got detention.)_ ”

        “ _(Oh no!)_ ” At least Thor sounded properly dismayed. “ _(May I ask what happened?)_ ”

        “ _(I don’t want to talk about it.)_ ” Loki sighed, then looked at Thor. “ _(Could you give me a ride home after detention is done? I’ll miss the bus.)_ ”

        “ _(Of course!)_ ” Thor wrapped a thick arm around Loki’s skinny shoulders. “ _(What day does it start, and what time does it end?)_ ”

        “ _(It starts tomorrow. It should be done by five.)_ ”

       Thor nodded. “ _(Very well, I shall inform my supervisor that I need to get off early-)_ ”

        “ _(No, don’t do that because of me,)_ ” Loki interrupted. “ _(I don’t want to make you miss work for a month. I can just wait until you’re done.)_ ”

        “ _(Are you sure?)_ ”

        “ _(Yeah, it’s fine.)_ ”

        “ _(Very well.)_ ” Thor gave his shoulders one last squeeze before backing off and sitting on the entryway bench to take off his boots. “ _(I will arrive to pick you up by six o'clock tomorrow.)_ ”

        “ _(Okay. Thanks, Thor.)_ ” Thor beamed at him and Loki took his backpack up to his room to work on homework, both curious and dreading what detention would bring him.

* * *

       “Alright, guys, don’t forget we have a test on Thursday. Please study because your grades are a reflection on me and the last thing you should want is for me to look stupid because that’s just inconsiderate of you. Right, so that’s it, have a great rest of the day!” Ms. Noble dismissed the class and went to work cleaning off the whiteboard to prepare for next period. The students gathered up their things and filed out of the classroom, talking amongst themselves.

       Lucifer put his pencil behind his ear, threw his math book into his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder. As he was about to leave, he heard Ms. Noble’s voice behind him. “Oh, Lucifer, do you mind staying for a few minutes. I just want a quick word with you.”

       Lucifer hesitated in the doorway, then he rubbed his hands over his eyes and backpedaled a little to let other kids out of the class while he waited. She set the eraser down and beckoned him over to her desk where she sat down and motioned for him to do the same.

        “So,” she began, a smile on her face that masked the concern behind it, “how do you feel about Thursday’s test?” Lucifer shrugged and looked at the ground.

        “Listen, Lucifer. I’m just going to be straightforward about this because people have told me that subtlety is not my strong suit. If you don’t pass this test, you won’t pass this class, and if you fail my class you won’t be able to graduate. Again. Lucifer, look at me.” Lucifer slowly raised his eyes to meet her gaze and was surprised by the urgency it held. “I know you have the capability. You are a brilliant student but you don’t try. I believe in you, all your other teachers believe in you, the only thing standing in your way is yourself.” Lucifer scoffed, thinking back to all the times his older brothers Michael and Raphael had told him the exact opposite of what Ms. Noble was telling him now. “Oi! Don’t sneer at me, young man. I know what you’re thinking and it’s not true. I had your brother in class several years ago and between you and I,” she leaned forward a little and lowered her voice, “he’s not exactly the brightest bulb in the lot.” Lucifer laughed at that, feeling slightly more at ease. “Now, I want you to ignore all the stupid things anyone has ever said about you and focus on passing this test. I can tell you I’m not the only one routing for you, we all want you to succeed. Do you understand me?” Lucifer felt the corners of his mouth curving upward and he nodded. “Good, now get out of here.” She shooed him out the door and turned to her paperwork.

       Lucifer started walking down the hallway toward his locker, keeping to the walls and trying to avoid people as much as possible. This would be his fifth year here and he still drew strange looks from kids he had known for years. He used to wear as many long sleeve shirts as possible but they were hot and he eventually just convinced himself he didn’t care what everyone else thought of him. The long burn scars on his forearms had faded a little with time, after all, the accident was close to eight years ago, but they were still visible. The cuts and burn marks on his face were less prominent, especially if he used make up but he had long ago given up on that as well.

       Most of the kids in the school were courteous enough to at least try and disguise the fact that they were staring at him but every now and then he would still get a freshman to stop dead in their tracks and just gape open mouthed at him. Lucifer was tall anyway, and combined with his scars and his brooding expression, he was, admittedly, a rather intimidating sight to behold.

       Today wasn’t one of those days though, he made it through the school without attracting any unwarranted attention and it wasn’t until he reached the hallway just before his locker that he encountered something out of the ordinary. There was a throng of students blockading the way and before he could elbow his way through he saw Doctor Watson and the school security officer ushering a bleeding girl in the direction of the offices followed closely by a dark-haired, scrawny boy muttering apologies as he went.

       Lucifer raised an eyebrow but dismissed it as the crowd dispersed and he could get to his locker. A few units down, he spotted his sister, Anna, her bright red hair making her hard to miss. She was shrunk against her locker, curled in on herself as far as she could while some guy in a football jersey towered over her, one hand on her locker in a way he probably assumed was suave.

       Lucifer clenched his jaw and approached the pair, picking up bits of their conversation as he got closer.

        “Zach, please stop, I don’t—” Anna was saying before she was interrupted by the boy.

        “Come on, Anna, don’t tell me you wouldn’t enjoy it. Just one time and then—”

        “Hey. Brady. Leave her alone,” Lucifer said, stopping behind the jock and crossing his arms. Zach turned around, facing Lucifer. He may have had twenty pounds on him, but Lucifer was still taller and something about looking down on a guy was empowering.

        “What did you say?” Zach crossed his arms, and assumed what Lucifer could only guess was supposed to be a tough-guy pose.

        “I said ‘leave her alone,’ asshole.”

        “Oooh, that’s what you said? See, I was giving you a chance to recount your statement.”

       “It’s ‘recant,’ dipshit,” Lucifer said, an incredulous look on his face as he watched the gears turn in Zach’s mind.

       “Yeah, well. It doesn’t matter. What are you going to do about it?” He gestured at Lucifer to bring it on so Lucifer saw no reason to leave him disappointed. He nodded and looked to be deep in thought for a moment before swinging his fist and uppercutting Zach’s jaw. He stumbled backward and looked at Lucifer in shock, cradling his face and spitting blood. He snarled and launched himself at Lucifer, knocking them both to the ground. The two boys tussled, swinging fists and slinging insults as they rolled over the hallway trying to gain the upperhand. Anna screamed at them to stop and looked worried as she pressed herself somehow further back into the lockers. The other students gathered around them, chanting “Fight! Fight!”

       Officer Lestrade shoved his way back through the crowd, yelling above the ruckus for everybody to move out of his way. He made his way over to the scuffling boys and planted his heel on the tail of Zach’s jersey and yanked Lucifer back by the collar of his shirt. He threw Lucifer off to the side while he hoisted Zach to his feet and stood in between them. The two boys gave each other dirty looks over Lestrade’s shoulder, wiping blood from their faces and trying to fix their clothes.

        “Alright! That’s enough, you two! I’ve already had to deal with one mishap this morning so I’m already in a bad mood.” He eyed them both but neither said anything. “Everyone else, get to class already, don’t make me tell you twice. And as for you two, collect your things and follow me to my office.”

       Lucifer scowled and scooped his backpack up from where it had been discarded in the fight. He managed to catch Anna’s eye before she turned the corner to go to her class. She mouthed “I’m sorry” and gave him an apologetic glance. He smiled faintly, and waved her off, turning on his heel to follow the officer back.

       Lucifer waited in one of the chairs outside of Lestrade’s office as the security guard talked with Zach alone. He tapped his feet and looked around the room, attempting to find something to distract himself while he waited. Eventually, Zach exited the office, holding an ice pack to his cheek and a pink slip in his hand. He glared scathingly at Lucifer before making his way back into the hallway and off to wherever his next destination was. Lestrade motioned for Lucifer to come inside. Lucifer picked up his backpack and migrated from one chair into another, plopping himself down with a despondent huff.

        “So, mind telling me your half of the story? Zach gave me some pretty fabricated bull shit so I’m curious to know what actually happened,” Lestrade said, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands in his lap as he propped his feet up on his desk.

        “He was messing with my sister so I was making sure he wasn’t going to do it again.”

       Lestrade smiled and scratched his cheek, silent a moment before answering. “Here’s the thing, Lucifer. I believe you. I do. And, to be honest, I probably would have done the same thing if I was in your position. But we still have rules, and regardless of whether or not your intentions were honorable and actions chivalrous, a fight is a fight and must be treated as such. But since, I happen to think that Zach is as big of a douchebag as you do and that he probably deserved every bruise you gave him, I’m gonna twist the facts in your favor a little. So, since you were, after all, only defending yourself, I’m giving you a month’s detention, starting tomorrow. Deal?”

       Lucifer tried not to laugh, barely suppressing a smile and nodded.

        “Good,” he handed Lucifer a slip of paper with the details of his sentence. “Now, be on your way.” Lucifer thanked him and got up to leave. “One hell of a right swing, by the way.” Lucifer glanced back at the officer, who was smiling.

        “Thanks.” He laughed to himself and made his way out of the office and on to class.

 


	2. DAYS 1-3: An Exchange of Names

_Wednesday, DAY 1_

       Loki looked around the halls, muttering to himself, as he searched for the room detention would be served in. “221b....221b.....where the crap is 221- ah, there it is!” He stopped in front of the door that had the proper white number-letter combination painted on the frame above it. He opened the door slowly, cautiously. He blinked. The classroom was empty, which was something he was not expecting. He double-checked the room number, glanced at the clock, and then sat down in a desk by the large windows. Loki got out his calculus assignment and got to work. He looked up when the door opened again, admitting a stern but pretty woman. She looked like one of the science teachers, maybe. She nodded to Loki as she sat down at the desk.

        “Excellent, you’re already working. You are Loki Solberg, correct?” He nodded, her tone leaving no room for argument or attitude. She checked off a box on her paper. “I am Dr. Jones. I expect you to do your work silently and to work the entire time. Is that clear?” Again, Loki nodded and got right back to work.

       The door opened a minute after detention technically started. Loki only glanced up at the other boy, frowning at his disrupted concentration. His attention immediately shifted back to his work and he ignored the other teen.

 

       Lucifer ran through the halls. His locker had jammed, and now he was going to be late for detention. He hoped and prayed that it was one of the cool teachers that wouldn’t care if he was a bit late. His spirits sank when he opened the door and he just barely held in a groan as the strict woman gave him a sharp look. _Great, it’s Dr. I’ve-Got-a-Stick-Up-My-Ass Jones_ , he thought, sinking into the nearest desk. He noticed there was another boy on the other side of the room, but he didn’t pay him much mind.

        “You are late, Mr. Milton,” she snapped, jotting “tardy” down on the attendance sheet.

       Lucifer mumbled a “Sorry ma’am” and pulled out his English homework, staring at it despondently.

       Detention was a near silent affair that first day, the only sounds quiet groans of frustration, calculator keys clicking, pencils writing, and pages turning. Dr. Jones dismissed them at 5 o’clock on the dot. Lucifer bolted out as fast as humanly possible, though he slowed his pace once he was out of the room, not eager to go home just yet. Loki packed his things methodically and unhurried, knowing he would have an hour’s wait until his brother arrived.

       That was the first day of detention.

* * *

_Thursday, DAY 2_

       Lucifer made sure he was early to detention the next day. He was expecting the chemistry teacher again, but instead saw the beautiful and fun-but-serious senior English teacher Ms. Pond reading a book on Pandora’s box at the teacher’s desk. She turned the page and smiled at him, using her finger as a bookmark as she made a tic mark on the attendance.

        “Lucifer, right?” Lucifer nodded. “Great! Go ahead, sit anywhere you’d like. We have a few minutes still before you have to get to work.”

       The teen chose a central seat this time and got out his homework before voicing the question in his head. “Ms. Pond?”

       The redhead looked up from her book at the same time as the other boy walked in. She flashed a brief smile at him before turning her attention on Lucifer. “Yeah?”

        “Where is...I mean, who is our detention supervisor? Yesterday it was Dr. Jones.” Loki also looked interested in the answer and watched the woman as he sat down in the same desk as he had before, in the same row as Lucifer but at the far end.

        “Oh, you won’t have just one,” Ms. Pond explained with a little smile. One of the reasons students like her so much was because she was almost always smiling. “Some of the senior-grade and elective teachers will be rotating so you can get help from a certain teacher if you need it. Usually it will be a core class teacher, but if we have a meeting someone else will step in. That’s also why there aren’t many people in this detention, it’s only for seniors; we’re breaking up detentions by grade now so you can have a better working environment. Plus, the changing schedule keeps you on your toes!” She laughed, then asked, “Does that make sense?” The boys nodded and she smiled. “Good.” She grinned wider, leaning back in her chair. “Now shut up and do your work.”

       Loki didn’t have a lot of work today. He finished it with a half hour to spare. They weren’t allowed to nap or use their phones – so proclaimed a sign on the wall – so Loki observed his detention companion.

       The teen was older than Loki, or at least he looked it, with hair a color between ash and flax and moderately tan skin. What was most interesting about him were the scars that littered his face and ran up his arms. He wondered how he had gotten them. What had Dr. Jones called him, Meelston or something? Loki passed the time imagining how he had gotten those scars, staring off into space out the window.

       Lucifer glanced up at the other boy when he shifted in his seat, the metal studs on his pants clinking against the poles on the backrest of the chair. He was a rather...pretty boy, with pale skin and jet black hair, high cheekbones giving him an aloof and aristocratic air. He wondered what had happened to get him into detention. Hadn’t he been the one that was involved with that hubbub in the commons  the day before yesterday, before Zach had been an asshole? Lucifer snapped his gaze back to his work when he found his eyes drifting down the graceful curve of the teen’s neck. He grit his teeth and focused on the numbers on his paper. He was NOT allowed to think such thoughts about another boy. No matter how attractive he was-- Stop it! Lucifer commanded his brain. Someone that gorgeous had to have a hideous voice or a shitty personality anyway, part of him decided. He gripped his pencil tighter and worked furiously, getting his whole math assignment done before detention was done.

       Ms. Pond bide them a good evening as she dismissed them at five. Lucifer hastily grabbed his stuff and left. He was in such a hurry to leave that he didn’t notice when he dropped one of his notebooks. Loki noticed the red spiral-bound sitting in the hallway as he left the room after chatting with Ms. Pond about their upcoming mythology unit. He looked around, but the other boy was long gone. Loki shrugged and picked it up. His curiosity got the better of him and he opened the cover to peer at the name.

        “Lucifer Milton,” he said out loud as he walked. “What an interesting name.”

       Loki read the history notes while he waited for Thor to pick him up. Lucifer had impeccable penmanship and took very detailed notes. Occasionally, there was a little doodle in the margins that made Loki laugh. Loki slipped the notebook in his bag as his brother pulled up, promising himself that he would give it to Lucifer the next day at detention.

       Thus was the second day.

* * *

_Friday, DAY 3_

       Lucifer was in a foul mood when he arrived at detention the next day. He had somehow managed to lose his history notebook, which had the assignment that was due today in it. He had gotten it done early so he **wouldn’t** have to turn it in late, but it seemed the universe was working against him. That thought was reinforced when he saw their supervisor was none other than his history teacher, Mr. Pond. His real surname was Williams, but everyone called him Mr. Pond because he was engaged to Ms. Pond and was totally whipped. He didn’t even bother correcting students anymore and would respond to either name. Lucifer slunk into a seat and hunched over his history textbook. He would have to redo all his hard work since—

       Something tapped his shoulder. He glanced to the side and saw a pale hand with long elegant fingers hovering around his shoulder. His eyes followed the long arm up until he was looking into shockingly green eyes. Their gazes held for a moment, feeling time slow down.

       Loki stared at Lucifer’s eyes, caught by his gaze. There was intelligence and wit but also deep sorrow and pain in his eyes, eyes the color of a summer morning’s cloudless sky back in Norway, all blue but with a hint of grey. He blinked and the spell was broken. Loki held out the notebook.

        “You dropped this yesterday,” he said, trying not to sound like he had read every word in the notebook. “I’m Loki Solberg, by the way. We never properly met.”

       Lucifer scowled and snatched the notebook from Loki to disguise the shiver that ran down his spine from Loki’s voice. He had some sort of accent, just enough to give his words a lilt and an almost lyrical quality. Lucifer was banking on the other senior being a total asshat, or else he was going to have a hard time not being attracted to him. Maybe if he ignored Loki, he would go away and not make his life any more complicated than it was.

       The ashy-haired teen grunted out a thanks, completely blowing Loki off. Loki sighed and went to his desk. _Hmph, that’s what I get for being a nice person_ , he grumpily thought, slouching in his chair. Truly no one wanted to be his friend. This school year was going to be excruciating.

       Lucifer turned in the work from his newly-reclaimed notebook to Mr. Pond and sat back at his desk, half-heartedly working while repeatedly glancing at the clock. It was Friday, so he still had the weekend to work. Mr. Pond let them out a few minutes early. Lucifer was out as soon as the words left the teacher’s mouth, as usual, while Loki took his time to pack up.

       Mr. Williams/Pond approached Loki rather awkwardly, trying to appear cool and relaxed but failing rather hilariously. “How are you adjusting to the school, Loki? Do you like it here?”

       Loki internally sighed. He got a lot of these questions, teachers making sure he wasn’t going to go on a homesick-fuelled homicidal killing spree or something. “It is very different from Norway, but I am adjusting well enough.”

       Mr. Pond seemed satisfied with that and Loki left after shouldering his bag. He was glad he wouldn’t have school for two days, but at the same time he hated being around Odin so much. Maybe he would check out the public library this weekend...

       So ended their first week of detention.

* * *

       Lucifer flew out of the classroom the second Mr. Williams dismissed them. He raced down the hallway and out the back door of the school, not slowing down until he reached his excuse for a car. He fumbled with the keys until he finally unlocked the door and ripped it open. Tossing his things into the passenger seat, he slid into the car and slammed the door behind him, as if that was the final word on things. He let his forehead drop on the steering wheel, trying not to think of the lingering tingle in his fingers from where they had briefly brushed against the other boy’s. He tried not to think of the shiver that had run down his spine upon hearing him speak.

       How long had it been? Three days? He didn’t even really know his name until today. He cursed himself and tried to banish the image of, what was it? Loki?, from his mind. He shoved the keys into the ignition and was about to peel out of the parking lot when he was interrupted by a knock on the passenger window.

        “Hey, Hot Rod, mind giving me a ride home?” Lucifer jumped, taking a moment to recognize the face peering in expectantly at him.  He shifted the car back into park and unlocked the door, hurrying to chuck his things into the backseat so the passenger’s was clear.

       Lilith dropped in beside him and set her purse in between her feet, letting out a sigh and giving him one of her sly smiles. He raised an eyebrow at her, letting the question go unspoken because he sure as hell wasn’t going to be the first one to cross that bridge.

        “I was standing out there for like five minutes debating whether or not to interrupt you. I was afraid you were having some premature midlife crisis. If you were concentrating any harder I swear your mind was going to collapse in on itself.” She swept her long blonde hair over her shoulder and studied his reaction. Lucifer didn’t reply, just looked out behind him as he backed out of the parking space and drove off.

       Lilith let him ignore her for a few minutes but she wasn’t one to idly let the subject drop. She shifted in her seat so she was facing him. “Come on, Luci. I can read you better than anyone, so go on and tell me. What’s his name?” Lucifer shot her an annoyed glare and he could see her smile getting bigger. That look was all the confirmation she needed; she threw her head back and laughed, proud of her own brilliance, apparently. She punched Lucifer good-naturedly on the shoulder. “See? Can’t put anything by me.”

        “Lil, you know I’m not—that I can’t do that.”

       Lilith sighed, turning back around to stare out at the road. “Is this because of Michael?”

        “If you want to get technical about it. But it’s Raph and Uriel too. And by extension, my father. You know what they’d do if they ever found out I was, you know…”

        “You know what? Fuck your brothers. Actually, no, don’t do that, that’s weird. But you know what I mean. Who cares what they think? They have no right to dictate your life and I don’t understand why you let them push you around. I mean, Uriel is thirteen years old, for fuck’s sake. I may be overestimating a little, but I’m pretty sure you could throw him across the room if you felt so inclined. Even Raphael and Michael, they may be older than you but you could take them if you wanted to.” She stopped to catch her breath and Lucifer rubbed his neck uncomfortably. “If you like this kid, whatever his name is, then go for it and damn what your brothers think.”

       Lucifer let her words sink in before shaking his head. “You make it sound so easy. But I really can’t just…forget about them. I have to live with them, and as awful as they are to me now, it would be ten times worse if I ever started doing…that again.”

       Lilith chewed on her nails and shook her head as well. “I just don’t think it’s fair.”

        “Of course it’s not fucking fair but it is what it is so I just have to deal with it, okay?” Lucifer didn’t mean to shout and he knew Lilith knew it as well but he still felt the need to apologize. He pulled up at the curb outside her house and put the car in park, looking down at his lap.

        “It’s fine,” she said. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. Are you still coming to The Hub tomorrow?” Lucifer nodded and she collected her things and got out of the car. She stepped up onto the sidewalk but after a second, returned to the car and leaned over to look in at Lucifer, a playful glint in her eyes. “Just his name?”

       Lucifer made a show of heaving a big, dramatic sigh. “Loki.” Lilith flashed him another smile before whirling around and making her way up the driveway to her house. “Don’t make me regret telling you!” he called after her and watched her wink at him over her shoulder before disappearing in the front door.

       The rest of the drive home, Lucifer ran their conversation over in his head over and over again. She was right, she usually was. Lucifer was no weakling, he had proven that earlier this week. He figured if it ever came down to it, he probably at least stood a chance of giving Michael a taste of his own medicine. But it was more than that. Yeah, Michael did give him a hard time and yeah, his other brothers followed his example. Well, half of them anyway. He figured Gabriel hated them all equally and Castiel was too young to really pick a side. The only real friend he had in the house was Anna and she couldn’t really do much to back him up. He didn’t really blame her. In fact, that was probably one of the reasons he let Michael and the others focus on him, because if they ever turned their attention on Anna, she didn’t stand a chance. Somehow, she managed to hold on to that gentle and caring quality that everyone else seemed to forget about since their mother died. Thankfully, she had taken Castiel under her wing since then and Lucifer hoped that with her guidance he wouldn’t turn out like the rest of them.

       Their father certainly wasn’t any help. Ever since the accident, he had quit his job and had more or less locked himself in his room, leaving Michael to take over the role of patriarch. The seven of them managed to get by somehow. Between Raphael and Gabriel’s college and food for all of them, they were stretched thin most, if not all, of the time but they managed. Despite his flaws, Michael was a hard worker and climbed steadily up the professional ladder, landing the assistant manager’s position within a couple of years. All four of the oldest boys had jobs and between them it was just enough to provide for the large family.

       He pulled up in his driveway behind Michael’s pickup truck and saw Anna and Castiel playing in the front yard. He climbed out of the car and fished his things out of the backseat. He shuffled up the sidewalk and sat down on the front porch. Castiel was running around the yard in circles, tailed closely by Anna with her arms outstretched trying to catch him. Lucifer propped his chin on his fists and smiled at the two of them.

       Anna saw Lucifer out of the corner of her eye and told Castiel to play by himself for a second. She came and sat down by her older brother, trying to read his expression. Besides Lilith, Anna was probably the only other one who could do that with any success.

       “How was it today?” she asked, picking up a leaf from the ground and started folding it smaller and smaller.

       “Today was....” Lucifer fiddled with his fingers. “Today was kind of crappy.”

       “Why?” Anna asked, keeping her eyes on her leaf. Lucifer could tell she suspected something but he knew she would never be the one to bring it up. He watched Castiel playing, blissfully unaware of anything more difficult than deciding which Power Ranger he liked best. He ran a hand through his hair.

       “Uh, nevermind. Don’t worry about it. How was your day?” Anna looked at him, obviously picking up on the hastily changed subject but let it slide.

       “Fine. Do you think you can take me and Cas somewhere tomorrow? Raphael is coming home and I don’t really want to be around when he gets here.”

       “I’m meeting Lilith at The Hub tomorrow.”

       “That’s fine! We can go there. Please? I promise we won’t be any trouble.” She clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture, giving Lucifer her best puppy dog eyes.

       “Fine, but you can’t sit at our table.” He smiled and bumped her with his shoulder. She laughed and hugged him briefly.

       “Thanks, Lucifer, we’ll be good, I promise.” Castiel came running over to them and propelled himself into Lucifer’s lap.

       “Luci, when’s dinner?” he asked, sprawling out over the two of them, his shirt tugged up a little, leaving a stripe of exposed skin. Anna tickled him and he curled up, giggling.

       “Should be any minute if your good-for-nothing-brothers have any decency whatsoever.”

       “Yay! Are we having hamburgers? They’re my favorite.” He rolled off Anna and Lucifer’s laps and the two older siblings stood and took his hands.

       “Hamburgers? We just had those last night,” Anna said, her and Lucifer hoisting Castiel up the stairs.

       “Yeah, but I like them though. I wish we could have them every night.” Lucifer and Anna laughed, crossing the threshold of the house and letting go of Cas as he sped off down the hallway to inspect the kitchen.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The introduction of Kid!Cas!! I love him so much, writing him is super fun and he's just adorable overall.  
> By the way, if anyone makes fanart of this, please send me a link or submit it to my tumblr, thegoodshiplulo. I shall sing your praises from my roof.
> 
> thank you for reading, and please add a comment! I'd love to hear from you!


	3. Saturday: A Little Coffee Magic

_Saturday_

       It definitely felt like fall was well on its way the next day. Saturday dawned bright and cool, with highs estimated in the high 50’s according to the meteorologist on the news when Loki came down from his room with his bag. Odin glanced at him when Loki walked in the kitchen, but went back to reading his newspaper without saying a word. Frigga, however, smiled and passed him a plate with an omelet, smoked salmon strips, and a sliced tomato. Loki smiled back and sat at the opposite end of the table from Odin, concentrating on the comfort of a Norwegian breakfast while half listening to the news on the television.

       “ _(Where are you going today, Loki?)_ ” Frigga asked, sitting down with her own plate of food. Thor had already gone to work, and his plates were drying in the dish drainer. Thor always ate a ridiculous amount of food.

       Loki swallowed before speaking. “ _(The library. I need to do some research for an English project but I can’t find all the information I need online.)”_

       “ _(How far away is it?)_ ”

       “ _(It should take me about 30 minutes if I ride my bike.)_ ” Loki had brought his bicycle over from Norway. He had built it himself and given it a sleek green paint job. It had eight gears and hand brakes, which were not easy to install. He called it “Sleipnir.”

       “ _(Okay, but be safe. Wear your helmet. Oh, and a jacket, it’s supposed to be cool today.)_ ”

       Loki smiled at her, though it never really reached his eyes. Few of his smiles were genuine, and other than a chuckle now and then, Loki couldn’t remember the last time he had really laughed. “ _(Alright. I’ll be careful.)_ ”

       He finished his food and washed his plate, putting it in the rack next to the ones Thor had eaten off of. He grabbed a black jacket out of the hall closet and carefully wrapped his favorite green and gold scarf around his neck. The door that separated the house from the garage squealed as he opened it. His bike was up on a rack on the wall, within easy reach for him. He took it down and strapped on his green and black helmet, painted to match his bike. After a quick double check to make sure he had his homework, wallet, keys, and cell phone, Loki opened the big garage door, wheeled his bike out, closed the door again, and took off.

       Riding a bike was second nature for Loki, since most of the stores and houses in Norway were close enough that you didn’t have to drive. The sprawl of America confused him sometimes. It all seemed so...impersonal. Distant...a bit like that Lucifer kid--Loki swerved to avoid a fire hydrant, shaking his head and focusing on where he was going. He made it to the library with no further incidents and locked up his bike to the rack outside with a gun lock. He had learned in the past that the standard bike locks they sold in stores were too easy to cut through, so he always used at least one gun lock on his bike.

       The library was fairly large, three levels of books on tall shelves and tables surrounded by chairs. There were students there, but not as many as Loki expected. He got directions to the mythology section from a librarian and spent the morning perusing tomes for the information he needed. When the clock struck noon, he decided to break for lunch. He checked out the books he needed and put them in his bag, strapping on his helmet as he stepped outside. He had seen a coffee shop called “The Hub” on his way over that looked like a good place to get some food. Loki unlocked his bike, swung a leg over the center bar, and pushed off.

* * *

       Castiel was awake by the time Lucifer came up from his room in the basement. The first grader was eating mac-and-cheese with ketchup and drinking orange juice for breakfast. Anna was waiting for toast to pop up and gave Lucifer a tired smile.

       “He got me up at seven to make him breakfast.” Anna covered her yawn with a hand. It was almost eight now. “This is his third plate.”

       Lucifer ruffled Castiel’s hair as he passed him on his way to the fridge. “How much mac and cheese do we have?” Anna shrugged and took her toast out, getting a knife out of a drawer to spread some jam on them. “Did you even leave any for me, buddy?” Cas shook his head, his mouth full to bursting but somehow managing to grin mischievously at the same time. Lucifer laughed and opened the fridge, scanning the rows until he decided he’d just wait until they got to the Hub later to eat. He sat down at the table next to Castiel and watched him eat, a skeptical look on his face.

       “Are you sure your stomach is big enough to fit all that?”

       “Mmhmm,” Castiel said around his food, nodding enthusiastically.

       “Hm, I don’t know if I believe you. Lemme check.” He waited until Castiel swallowed and pulled up his shirt, allowing Lucifer to inspect his stomach. Lucifer poked and prodded him, eliciting giggles from his younger brother.

       “I don’t know...”

       “Don’t forget to check the sides,” Anna put in, sliding her toast on to a paper plate and joining them at the table.

       “Ah, yes. I almost forgot.” Lucifer tickled Castiel’s rib cage and the boy squirmed, his laughter echoing through the quiet house. “Well, I’ll be darned. You have more room than I thought. Carry on, good sir.”

       “Thank you,” Castiel said, nodding regally before stuffing his face with more mac and cheese. Lucifer and Anna exchanged amused glances over his head.

       “Well, if it isn’t already a party down here,” Michael boomed, practically strutting into the kitchen. He barged past the three at the table, opened the fridge and pulled out the milk. “How come no one invited me?” He unscrewed the cap and took a swig from the carton.

       “Ew, Mike, Anna said not to do that. We have to share,” Cas piped in, grimacing at Michael.

       The eldest brother rolled his eyes as he tipped his head back, leaning on the fridge door with a one-shouldered shrug, “ _So_ sorry.” He gave Castiel a roguish grin. “Won’t happen again.”

       Obviously, the sarcasm went right over Castiel’s head, as he just nodded and resumed eating. Michael took another swig of milk as he walked over to the cabinets, getting out a tall glass and pouring the remaining milk in it. He shook the empty carton. “We need more milk. Pick some up on your way home, Luci-Goosey.”

       Lucifer scowled at the nickname Michael had given him when they were kids. “I told you, stop calling me that.”

       Michael walked over to him and set the glass of milk down by where Lucifer was sitting, his face scrunched up as if deep in thought.

       “Hmm... nope!”

       Michael suddenly bumped Lucifer with his hip--hard. It took him by surprise, and the force of it knocked him out of his chair and sent him sprawling on the linoleum floor. Michael laughed and reached a hand down, hauling him back up by his elbow.

       “Geez, Luci-Goose, you’re certainly off your game this morning.” Michael sat down where Lucifer had been sitting. Lucifer glared and tightened his hands into fists, but said nothing and went around the table to sit by Anna. She kept her eyes on Michael, putting her hand gently on Castiel’s back.

       “Cas, go upstairs and get dressed. We should be getting ready to go soon.”

       “Kay.” Cas dropped his fork and it clattered on the table as he edged out of his seat and sprinted out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Anna brushed her hands together to dust off the crumbs then got up and threw her plate away after putting Castiel’s dishes in the sink, following Castiel upstairs without speaking to Michael. Lucifer stood to follow suit, aiming to vacate the war zone before anything worse could happen.

       “Hey, I haven’t finished talking to you yet.” _So close._ Lucifer turned around slowly, a painfully fake smile plastered on his face, waiting for Michael to continue. “Is this detention of yours going to affect your job?”

       Lucifer looked at his feet. “Um, yeah. I’ve had to take some days off.”

       Michael stood up and approached him, coming eye to eye with his brother just inches from his face. “Well you better start begging for extra shifts or overtime because I sure as hell am not letting your delinquency get in the way of taking care of this family. Do you understand me?” Lucifer’s jaw tightened but he gave a small nod, neglecting to mention that his delinquency was in the interest of taking care of his family. Michael shoved him against the door frame and stalked off back to his room.

       Lucifer scowled and made his way downstairs to get dressed. He passed Gabriel’s door, some sort of classic rock bleeding through. Lucifer was impressed that Gabe was even up this early, let alone already doing his best to annoy the shit out of him. He kicked the door on his way by and heard Gabe shout some obscenity at him from the confines of his room.

       He pushed the door to his own room open and was greeted, as always, by the rather boring and empty landscape. He didn’t spend much time there so he never really felt the need to spruce it up, not that they had the money to do so anyway. He had what he needed: a bed, a dresser, a desk and that was about it. He stripped off his pajamas and tossed them onto the bed. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out a clean t-shirt and pair of jeans, throwing them on and going into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

       Five minutes later, he bounded back up the stairs to find Anna and Castiel already at the door donning their coats. Cas sat down to put his shoes on while Lucifer shrugged on his jacket and Anna gathered up all her things.

       Lucifer held the door open for the two of them and Cas shouted goodbye over his shoulder. They all clambered into Lucifer’s car, Cas in the backseat and Anna up front, and took off. Castiel more or less held a conversation with himself, Anna or Lucifer supplying a word here and there but mostly letting the boy blabber on about school and his friends or the latest development in his imaginary universe.

       The Hub was situated almost directly in the center of town, about a twenty minute drive from their house. It began as a relatively small business but blossomed into a thriving hotspot for all walks of people. Its owner, Ianto Jones, was a quiet, humble man who was a bit overwhelmed by the attention his little restaurant acquired. He certainly deserved it though, there was no coffee in the country that stood up to Ianto’s but whenever anyone mentioned it, he would blush and mumble that the beans did all the real work, he just brewed them. His husband, Jack Harkness, was a Spanish teacher at Anna and Lucifer’s school and Ianto’s opposite in almost every way. He was loud and boisterous but always ready with a friendly smile and had the tendency to flirt with anything that moved. Ianto was used to it by now, so Jack’s playful flirting didn’t bother him much. It was when someone would try to go past flirting with Jack that Ianto would show his possessive side. Despite his unassuming exterior, Ianto could pack a punch if he needed to.

       Lucifer had gotten a job there relatively early on, so he had been through a lot with Ianto, and by extension, Jack. He had watched the restaurant grow into what it was today. He also knew all of the other employees there and greeted each one by name as they walked in. Lilith was already sitting at a table near the back, out of the main path, and waved to them. Anna took Castiel to the counter to order something while Lucifer just asked Tosh, one of the baristas, for his regular. He sat across from Lilith, his back to the counter. Lilith steepled her fingers, half hiding her grin.

       “So... Loki, huh?” Lucifer groaned; of COURSE that was the first thing she’d bring up.

       “I told you not to make me regret telling you.”

       She sighed and twiddled her fingers, bouncing a little in her seat. “I know, but I can’t help but be curious.”

       Lucifer sat forward in his chair, staring Lilith straight in the eyes. “If I tell you anything, you can’t tell anyone else. And that includes Anna and every other person you can think of, alright?”

       “Yes, yes, fine, go on.” She cradled her face in her hands, leaning forward so she could catch every word.

       Lucifer rubbed his temples and then flopped back in his seat. “Whatever. So, his name’s Loki Solberg, or something. I think I heard him say he moved here from Norway.”

       “Ooh, exotic,” Lilith interrupted, a teasing sparkle in her eyes.

       Lucifer gave her a disapproving glare. “Do you want me to tell you or not?”

       “Sorry, keep going.”

       “Okay, well he’s tall, kinda scrawny but not in a sickly sort of way more just like, I don’t know, slender.” He paused as he could see Lilith holding back a laugh. “Shut up.”

       “I didn’t say anything!” she protested, hiding behind her coffee as Lucifer continued to glower.

       “Anyway, so he’s pretty pale, I guess that’s maybe a Norwegian thing. He’s got really dark hair that’s kind of long and--”

       “And really elegant cheekbones?” Lilith put in, staring over Lucifer’s shoulder.

       “Yeah. I mean, what? What are you talking about?”

       “I’m talking about the handsome son of a bitch that just walked in.” She pointed discreetly over behind him.

       Lucifer turned and froze, his eyes locking on the teenager that had just walked in, a helmet in his hands and a bag slung over his shoulders.

 

       Loki locked his bike up outside and walked in, shaking his head to get rid of his helmet hair. He looked around, and then joined the very short line.

       Loki was in line behind a pretty, redheaded teenage girl and a little boy, who couldn’t be more than seven. The girl got some frothy drink and the boy got hot chocolate and a cookie. They stepped away from the counter, the girl holding both drinks. Loki stepped up to the counter to order. As he was telling the girl behind the counter which coffee he wanted, he heard something hit the floor and looked over to see the boy had dropped his cookie on the floor. He looked like he was about to cry. Loki felt his chest tighten a bit and quietly ordered a cookie just like the one the boy had ordered. The barista smiled and handed him the treat; Loki tucked it into the sleeve of his coat. She gave him the coffee when it was ready; Loki paid her and went to kneel in front of the boy, upset and on the brink of tears, who was being comforted by the girl. He smiled at the girl and gave her a quick wink before turning to the boy, setting his coffee out of the way on the ground.

       “Hey,” he said with a small smile, “would you like to see a magic trick?”

       The girl was a bit distrustful but the boy sniffed and nodded. Loki touched the boy’s forehead, and said, “En,” then touched the boy’s sternum, the boy’s eyes following his hand, “To.” He turned over his hand with a “Hurra!” and it suddenly had a cookie in it, almost as if by magic. His face had an expression of exaggerated surprise and the boy squealed in delight. Loki laughed and gave the boy the cookie; in return, the boy gave Loki a tight hug around his neck. Loki smiled warmly and gently hugged him back.

       Lucifer’s eyes were huge, and his chest felt tight and warm at the same time. His mouth was open slightly and he was struggling to breathe normally, hands clenching fistfuls of the material of his pants on his thighs.

       “Wow,” Lilith commented quietly. “I can see why you like him so much.”

       “I....I’ve never seen him smile. Or act like that.” Lucifer swallowed thickly, eyes still on the teen, who was being tugged to the table Castiel was sharing with Anna. Loki followed him with a soft laugh and introduced himself to Anna as they walked, being careful not to spill the hot coffee on either of them. “Fuck,” he whispered breathily.

       Lilith looked at Lucifer, eyes scanning him. She whistled lowly. “Damn. You’ve really got it bad for this Loki kid, huh?”

       Lucifer groaned and folded his arms on the table, putting his face in the pocket they created. It was muffled, but Lilith clearly heard his “Yes.”

       Lilith was silent for a moment, watching Loki chat easily with Castiel and Anna. Cas happily ate the cookie Loki had given him. “Cas really seems to like him,” she commented.

       “He gave him a fucking cookie, what’s not to like?”

       “Well, I-...” she bit her lower lip as she smiled, seeing Castiel tug Loki over to where she and Lucifer were sitting. She leaned forward to murmur to him. “I’d act natural, because your brother wants you to meet his new friend.”

       Lucifer’s head shot up so fast Lilith thought he was going to get whiplash. “He what-?!”

       “Lu’, Lu’!!” Castiel’s bubbly voice interrupted him, his six-year-old joy making Lucifer smile despite his burst of panic. “I want you to meet my new friend Loki!!!”

       Lucifer turned in his chair at the same time as Loki incredulously said, “Lucifer?”

       Lucifer gave Loki a half smile, his eyes fixed on the pale boy’s face, while Lilith hid her glee by drinking coffee. “Hello, Loki.”

       Loki’s shocked expression turned into a twist of his lips that wasn’t a smirk and wasn’t a smile but was fucking sexy all the same, though he seemed a bit hesitant to approach the table further. “Hello, Lucifer. It’s...nice to see you. You know, other than in detention.” Now it WAS a smirk and Lucifer was glad he had such control over his expression or he would probably be drooling, or something equally as embarrassing.

       “You know my brother?” Castiel asked, pulling Loki to the table. Loki nodded and sat down on the ground at the end of the low table between Lilith and Lucifer, placing his coffee on the table in front of him. He gave a small ‘oof’ as Castiel tried to climb in his lap, but helped him up. Lucifer saw the small smile he gave Castiel before it went back to the fairly neutral, guarded smile he had before.

       “Yes, your brother and I go to the same school.” Loki put an arm around Castiel to steady him as the boy squirmed and turned to face Lucifer better; honestly, Lucifer hadn’t seen a cuter sight in a long time. He wasn’t sure how he was going to face Loki come Monday.

       “That is SOOO COOL!!” Castiel exclaimed, looking like it really was one of the coolest things. “So, are you two friends??”

       Loki was about to respond no, but Lucifer beat him to it. “Maybe. We just met a few days ago, so it’s hard to say right now.”

       Loki’s eyes widened in shock and they snapped up to meet Lucifer’s. A hopeful little smile lit up his face, actually reaching his eyes this time, making him seem a bit younger, more innocent, and lonelier than he had before. Lucifer smiled back, a careful little smile and Lilith suddenly felt like an awkward third wheel. She saw Anna hovering behind the next table over, the girl watching the scene unfold with her eyebrows raised in shock.

       Mentally, Lucifer had been beating himself for that “maybe” comment. This was NOT going to help him not be attracted to Loki. However, when Loki gave him that smile, that hopeful little flicker, Lucifer felt suddenly that he had said the right thing. Did Loki even have any friends? He was new, and the kids at their school weren’t always the nicest. Maybe it would be okay if they were just...friends. Yeah, he could handle being just friends...right?

       Lucifer was glad that Cas was more than happy to commandeer the conversation because ever since Loki had smiled at him like that, he had been at a loss for words.

       “If you and Lu’ are friends that means you can come over to our house and play. I can show you my tree house in the back yard. It’s really tall though and I can’t reach it by myself so Anna or Lu have to help me. But I’m getting taller! I checked my growth chart last week and guess how many inches I grew since school started? Almost one and a half! Anna said that—”

       “Cas,” Lucifer cut him off, laughing a little, embarrassed, “slow down, you’ll talk his ear off.”

       Loki smiled, first at Lucifer then back at Cas. “It’s alright. I don’t mind.”

       Anna approached their table cautiously. “Lucifer? Mr. Winchester just called me. He wants me to babysit. I know it’s kind of last minute and you’re still talking but do you think you could drop me off really quick?”

       “Dean!” Cas launched himself out of Loki’s lap, darting up to Anna and clinging to her arm, jumping up and down. “Can I come? Please, please, please, please!” Anna shrugged him off, chuckling at his enthusiasm.

       “Yeah, sure, if you want.”

       “Dean is my best friend,” he told Loki, grabbing his coat and stuffing his arms in, already halfway to the door before he realized no one was following him. “Come on! It’s time to go!”

       Lucifer scratched the back of his neck, excusing himself from the table. Loki stood up with him, muttering something about getting back home. The two of them faced each other for a moment, unsure of how to depart. Did they just leave? Were they familiar enough to shake hands? Neither of them made any move. Lilith looked back and forth between them like it was the most entertaining movie she’d ever seen.

       “Um, I’ll see you on Monday, then,” Lucifer said, giving Loki a clap on the shoulder before taking Anna and walking as fast as he could out the door.

       “I’ll see you later, too!” Lilith called after him. She took a sip of her drink and looked up at Loki who hadn’t moved yet. He kept his eyes on the door until the three siblings had turned the corner out of sight. Then he snapped back to the present, realizing he was staring and Lilith was still beside him. With an awkward huff of laughter, he picked up his coffee and helmet and made his way out as well.

       Lilith exchanged glances with Tosh from behind the counter who raised her eyebrows in an expression that seemed to say “Well, that was awkward.” Lilith laughed and finished off the last of her coffee.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all who have read and visited this story, thank you! Your silent support means so much to myself and my co-writer. 
> 
> Don't forget to check out my Tumblr, thegoodshiplulo, for updates and extras like side stories, explanations for any questions you may ask (my askbox is open to everyone!), and any fanart done. I love hearing from you, it encourages and inspires me, so please review here or talk to me on Tumblr! I will answer any question about the story you ask!
> 
> Until next time! Allons-y!


	4. DAY 4: Paying Close Attention

_Monday, DAY 4_

       Lucifer never thought he’d actually be looking forward to detention, but here he was on Monday afternoon, sitting in his seventh period, watching the seconds tick down until the end of the day. He’d never considered Ms. Tyler a particularly boring teacher but today it seemed like she’d never shut up.

       When the bell finally rang, he crammed his psych book into his bag and darted out of the room before everyone else. Only after he had jogged a few meters down the hall did he think that maybe showing up to detention ten minutes early might come off as a little bit...eager. He forced himself to slow down, resuming his casual, gloomy stride and decided to drop by his locker first, just to burn some time. He spun the dial aimlessly, not really needing access but just trying to kill a few minutes before he had to be in detention. He saw Anna at her own locker, Zach noticeably absent, and he gave her a small wave before she headed for the bus.

       Come to think of it, he’d been anticipating going to detention all day but not once had he thought of what he might say when he got there. _Oh great, this is going to go well,_ he thought, mentally berating himself for being such an idiot. _Yeah, this is great, just make it up as you go along. What’s the worst you could say?_ His mind instantly pulled up hundreds of worst case scenarios and Lucifer let his whole body fall forward on to the locker with a groan.

       With only a few minutes to spare, Lucifer hauled himself off his locker and moped toward the detention classroom, an entire day’s worth of expectation turned to dread in the span of thirty seconds. He paused for a moment outside the door to work up his nerve, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

       The elderly librarian, Mr. Mott, was stationed at the desk in the front of the classroom, taking note of Lucifer’s arrival on the sheet before turning back to his book. Loki, as usual, was on the far side of the classroom, but Lucifer noticed he had moved one seat over. He glanced up from his work as Lucifer entered, giving him an awkward half-smile before looking back down. Lucifer hesitated before taking his own seat, wondering if he should just sit where he had been for the last three days or take a cue from Loki and move fractionally closer. He didn’t want to seem too desperate but at the same time, if he sat in his normal seat it might make Loki think he wasn’t interested in being friends at all.

        _This shouldn’t be this difficult. Just pick a fucking seat,_ he commanded himself, and hastily chose the desk one over from his normal chair. He tried to catch a glimpse of Loki as he sat down, wondering if his decision had made any sort of impression on him. It was fleeting, but he could have sworn he saw the hint of a smile on the boy’s face.

       Lucifer pulled out his homework for the day but he knew from the start it was a lost cause. No way would he be able to concentrate on academic pursuits right now. It didn’t seem to be a problem, Mr. Mott had fallen asleep within the first ten minutes of class so it wasn’t like he was going to be chastised for being off task. Lucifer tapped his pencil on the edge of the desk, trying to think of something to say, anything to initiate a conversation.

       “Um, thanks for uh, giving my brother a cookie.” _Wow. Just...wow. That’s what you come up with? You might as well just--_

       “It...it was no problem,” Loki’s soft voice interrupted Lucifer’s self-bereaving thoughts. Loki was looking at him from the side of his eyes, head tipped to face Lucifer slightly. The Norwegian peeked at Mr. Mott, then faced Lucifer more and his homework less. He gave Lucifer a tentative, shy smile. “Your brother is really cute. I...I always wanted a younger sibling.”

       Lucifer chuckles, a bit more comfortable on this subject, but not much. “Trust me, you lucked out. Little siblings are cute at first, but once they turn 13 they get really obnoxious really fast.” Lucifer pulled a face that made Loki laugh quietly. Lucifer quickly decided he liked Loki’s laugh and wanted to hear it as often as possible. He scooted toward Loki in his seat a smidge, practically sitting on the edge. “How did you do that trick with the cookie, anyway?”

       “I could teach it to you, if you’d like,” Loki offered.

       “Yeah, I’d like that,” Lucifer smiled back, agreeing without a second thought.

       Loki snuck another glance at Mr. Mott, double checking that the old man was indeed sleeping, then pushed his homework to the side and got out of his chair. He climbed over the chairs and sat down in the desk across from Lucifer. Lucifer turned his body so they were facing each other, waiting with his hands in his lap for Loki to begin.

       “It’s really rather simple. I wouldn’t count on it working on anyone much older than your brother,” Loki said, keeping his voice low.

       Lucifer smiled, “It worked on me.”

       “You just weren’t paying close enough attention. All you have to do is—” He was cut off as Mr. Mott snored, shifting in his seat. “Um, maybe I’ll show you later. I don’t wanna…”

       “Yeah, it’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Lucifer turned around in his seat, trying to hide his disappointment behind indifference. Loki gave a curt nod, his expression torn between confusion and hurt. He clambered back to his chair, immersing himself in his work.

       Lucifer held back a frustrated sigh. He stared blankly at his psychology homework, the words swimming in front of his eyes. The remainder of detention crawled by and not another word passed between them. When 5 o’clock rolled around, Mr. Mott showed no signs of waking. Loki and Lucifer looked at each other, neither of them quite sure what to do. Tentatively, Loki rose and went over to Mr. Mott, gently tapping him on the shoulder.

       “Sir? It’s five o'clock. It’s time for us to leave.”

       The librarian woke with a start. “Right, have a good weekend!”

       “It’s only Monday, sir.”

       “Yes, well, you know what I mean.” Loki smiled at him then turned around to retrieve his things. Lucifer had no reason to stick around without making it look he was blatantly waiting for Loki and he still wasn’t sure where they stood.

       So he left. He made his way through the school and out the back where his car was parked. Climbing in, he caught a glimpse of Loki exiting the building in the rear view mirror. Unconsciously, he shrunk down in the seat to avoid being seen, then criticized himself when he realized how childish he was being. He put the keys in the ignition and backed out of his space, noticing that Loki had settled down on the back steps and pulled out a novel. He had the book balanced on his knee, keeping the pages open with one hand and absentmindedly chewing on the fingernails of the other. Lucifer tried not to concentrate on how the breeze gently teased the boy’s hair.

       He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind and refocused his attention on the road. As he sped toward The Hub, he cracked the window open and let the wind seep in, hoping it would calm the flush in his cheeks.

       His car rattled to a halt in an open parking space and he stepped out into the cool, fall air. He locked the door behind him and went through the back door of The Hub’s building into the kitchen. Owen was pulling a tray of scones out of the oven, but nodded a greeting at Lucifer as he passed through.

       Lucifer grabbed his smock from the row of uniforms along the wall and slipped it over his head as he went in to the main part of the restaurant. As Tosh saw him come in, she smiled and pulled her own apron over her head and, after calling out a goodbye to Ianto and Lucifer, disappeared into the kitchen to end her shift. Lucifer took her spot behind the counter, straightening a few of the ingredients and utensils Tosh had left a little out of line.

       “Afternoon, Lucifer,” Ianto said, “How are you doing?”

       “Okay, I guess. You?”

       “Alright, thanks.”

       “Oh, by the way, I really appreciate you giving me these extra shifts. It means a lot to me. To my family.”

       “No problem. We’re a family here, too; don’t forget that. We look out for each other.” Ianto gave him a pat on the back before inching behind him to tend to matters elsewhere.

       “Thanks.”

       “That goes for your new boyfriend as well.”

       Lucifer closed his eyes in frustration. “I can’t keep a secret from anyone, can I?”

       Ianto laughed. “No, you really can’t.”

* * *

       Loki looked up from his book when he heard his brother’s car rumble to a stop. He blinked and realized he hadn’t read a single word on the page, he had just been staring while his mind raced. Sighing, he stood up and tucked the book under his arm so he could open the passenger side door. He slid in, the old pleather creaking under his slight weight. His backpack was tossed into the backseat and he buckled himself in. Loki propped his head up on his hand, staring out the window, and let his mind wander back to Lucifer. What had happened? Everything was going so well, they had been smiling and talking, and then suddenly the other boy had just shut off from Loki. It had hurt, but Loki tried to see it from Lucifer’s perspective. From what he understood and heard about the other boy--other than there were rumors that he was a demon and his scars were from when he rose out of Hell--Lucifer didn’t have many other friends. Maybe Loki had moved too fast, been too eager, maybe he--

       “ _(Brother?)_ ” Loki snapped his head to look over at Thor, who was leaning down to peer into the car from outside the open driver’s door, a worried look on his face. Wait...when had the car stopped moving? “ _(We are home. Are you feeling alright?)_ ”

       “ _(Yes, I’m fine, just...lost in thought.)_ ” Loki hastily got out of the car and looked in the backseat for his backpack. Thor held up the bag and Loki went around the car to retrieve it from him. Thor lofted the backpack high above his head, a grin on his face.

       “ _(The price you must pay for your bag is a hug.)_ ” He held out his other arm to the side, ready to receive Loki’s hug.

       Loki rolled his eyes but let a small smile show on his face as he walked up to his brother. He wrapped his arms around Thor’s tree trunk of a torso and hugged him tightly, though it barely moved Thor’s muscular sides in. Thor wrapped his free arm around Loki in a gentle--by Thor’s standards--hug.

       “ _(Whatever or whoever it is that has upset you, I hope you can resolve it.)_ ” Thor spoke as quietly as he could, more of a rumble than words, but Loki still understood him.

       “ _(I’m not--...me too.)_ ” Thor squeezed him tighter for a moment, then let him go, handing him his bag.

       “ _(You will let me know if you cannot handle it on your own?)_ ” Thor seemed genuinely concerned, so Loki sighed and promised he would do just that. Thor smiled reassuringly. “ _(I am sure all will work out for the better.)_ ”

       He patted Loki’s shoulder and they went inside. Surprisingly, or maybe not, Thor’s hug had helped to calm the turmoil in Loki’s mind. Thor had always been able to calm Loki down, ever since they were children, and Loki had relied on that strength many times. It really should not shock him that their bond was still there, even after all they had gone through. Loki shut himself in his room until dinner time, focusing on homework with the resolve to find a way to be Lucifer’s friend tomorrow.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing much to say, other than thanks for reading, please review/comment/follow, and see you on Thursday!
> 
> oh, and I adore writing Loki and Thor as adorable brothers who get along, there is not enough of it in my opinion. *thumbs up*


	5. DAY 5: The Class That Jack Taught

_Tuesday, DAY 5_

       Loki was quieter than normal the next day, which was quite a feat since he was almost entirely silent anyway. His last teacher, Ms. Pond, called him back from leaving after the bell rang. She looked concerned and sat down beside him in a desk.

       “Is everything okay, Loki? You were unusually quiet, even for you.”

       Loki fidgeted, glancing at the clock; if he didn’t hurry, he’d be late for detention. “I’m fine, I just didn’t feel like talking much today, Ms. Pond... Can I go? I’m going to be late for detention.” He looked anxiously at the door. His teacher opened her mouth to speak again, then closed it with a sigh.

       “Yes, go ahead. Sorry to delay you, I was just worried about you. You know you are always welcome to tell me if you have a problem, right?”

       Loki wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he just uttered an awkward “Um, yeah. Thank you..?” and left, half running down the halls to get to detention on time. He stopped short of the door and smoothed his hair back. A bark of laughter from inside the room made him pause and he curiously opened the door. He blinked in surprise.

       The desks had been pushed away from where the sun lit up a section of the room with warm light. In that patch of sunlight, three beanbag chairs had been placed. Lucifer and a teacher, a laid-back man with an infectious smile and short brown hair, were laughing from two of them. Loki slowly entered the room, unsure of what was going on. He liked Lucifer’s laugh though, it was a warm chuckle that came from deep in his chest. Loki had the sudden desire to be pressed up against Lucifer’s chest when he laughed, to feel the muscles move and the diaphragm jerk underneath him, to feel the laugh rumble through his body--he shook his head, black hair whipping his face, a slight flush on his cheeks which he fought down fiercely. He barely knew the guy, he probably didn’t even like Loki that way, so he should definitely not be having thoughts like that. Loki set his backpack down by the empty beanbag chair but didn’t sit yet, still confused. The teacher smiled up at him and patted the shiny green material of the empty seat.

       “Sit, sit! Join us, Loki! There is no working on homework today, just talking.” Loki lowered himself into the beanbag, feeling Lucifer’s eyes on him and gazing at him from under his lashes and to the side, trying not to look like he was staring at him. Lucifer was looking at Jack, but his eyes kept darting to look at Loki. Jack smiled at Loki, holding out his hand to shake Loki’s. “I am Jack Harkness, el profesor de español.”

       “It is wonderful to meet you, señor Harkness.” Loki shook his hand.

       Mr. Harkness winked. “Please, call me Jack.”

       “Very well... Jack.”

       “He’s married to Ianto Jones, the owner and founder of The Hub,” Lucier added, grinning at Loki. The Norwegian smiled back at him, then at Jack.

       “Congratulations on your union,” he said politely. Jack smiled and sighed dramatically, looking up at the ceiling adoringly while putting a hand over his heart.

       “Yup, he is the love of my life.” Another sigh, then he turned to the students. “But let’s talk about you. I’d like to get to know both of you and I think the both of you should get to know each other better too.” Both teens managed not to flush and resolutely kept their eyes on the teacher except for a quick glance to the side.

       “So um...what are we going to talk about?” Loki fidgeted in his beanbag, feeling the foam pellets shift under him and collect uncomfortably in the small of his back.

       “Well, have you done anything you’re particularly proud of that you would like to share?”

       Both teens thought for a few moments. Loki spoke first.

       “I...built my own bicycle...”

       Jack’s eyebrows rose and Lucifer looked at Loki curiously. “That’s pretty impressive. How old were you?”

       “14.”

       “Even more impressive.”

       “How many gears does it have?” Lucifer asked this time.

       “Eight.”

       “Cool.”

       There was a moment of silence, then Jack twisted in his beanbag to face Lucifer more. “What about you, Lucifer? What’s something you’ve done that you are proud of?”

       He was quiet for a long time, as if he couldn’t think of anything worthwhile he’d done. Indeed, it was as if the wires in his brain were short circuiting. He knew he had done cool stuff, but with Loki’s bright green gaze upon him, all he could think of were lame, mundane events.

       “Well...I helped my brother finish a school project. Does that count?”

       “Certainly. A very admirable task. How many brothers do you have again?”

       “I have five. And a sister.”

       Jack let out a low whistle. “Quite a full house then. What about you, Loki? Any siblings to speak of?”

       Loki hesitated before answering, biting his lower lip, debating how comfortable he felt sharing information with the other two. “Technically no. I’m...uh, I’m adopted but my adoptive parents have a son of their own, Thor.”

       Jack nodded. “Loki and Thor, huh? Where did you say you moved from?”

       “Norway. We moved here from Sandefjord because my father has a medical condition that required more advanced care.”

       Lucifer felt another shiver run down his spine as the syllables of the Norwegian word rolled off Loki’s tongue and his natural accent bled through.

       “Well, Lucifer, you’re no stranger to unusual names. All your siblings are named after angels, correct?” Jack asked, turning the conversation back to Lucifer.

       “Yeah, my mother was fascinated by them. Of course, I got stuck with one of the less fortunate options but...”

       Jack grinned. “Ah, I wouldn’t worry about it. Lucifer sounds cool.” Loki chuckled, and for a moment, Lucifer wasn’t sure if he was amused at Jack’s intonation or Lucifer’s unfortunate namesake. His eyes flicked back and forth between Jack and Loki, who both had good natured smiles on their faces and decided he had nothing to worry about. He let out a relieved breath, sinking back into his chair.

       “What about you, Jack?” Loki asked, changing the subject back again. “Do you have any siblings?”

       Jack rubbed his hands along his thighs, inhaling deeply and puffing his cheeks out before blowing it back out in a sad sigh. “I did, yeah. Gray, but he died when we were just kids.”

       Loki and Lucifer fell silent at the admission. “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to--” Loki began, scrambling to apologize.

       Jack held up his hand with a small smile. “No, no. It’s fine, that’s what we’re here for, right? Getting to know each other? Besides, it was such a long time ago. Don’t feel bad, kid, it was an honest question.”

       A small silence descended on them, accentuated by the ticking of the clock on the wall. Jack looked between the boys, both lost in their own lachrymose thoughts, and grinned, his cheerful voice breaking the somber mood.

       “And now, for the question every teen hates: what do you want to do with your lives after you graduate?”

       Both teens groaned, but they were smiling, so Jack had done his job of cheering them up. He turned to the elder of the two.

       “Lucifer, you first. What are your plans?”

       “Well... I’m probably going to get another job, so I can help support my family. The income we have now is sustaining us, but I know that Anna is bright enough to get into a really good college and there’s still Uriel and Castiel to put through middle and high school.” Lucifer sighed; it wasn’t an exciting future ahead of him, but it was practical and what his family needed.

       “What about what YOU want to do?” Loki sounded surprised that Lucifer was willing to give up on any and all of his own dreams to help his family out like that.

       “I...I just want Castiel to be happy. The others too, of course, especially Anna, but Castiel is the most innocent of us all. He doesn’t remember...” Lucifer looked away from them, a haunted look on his face as he self-consciously rubbed at the scars on his forearms. “...I just want him to be happy. I’ll live vicariously through him and send him on all sorts of wild adventures.” He tried to lighten the mood again with a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace.

       Loki leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “Don’t misunderstand me, I admire that you want your brother to be happy, but what makes you happy? And don’t say him. That’s cheating.”

       Lucifer was a little taken aback by the forwardness of the question, Loki had been rather reserved as of yet. Jack looked surprised as well, he sat back and crossed his arms, seeming as interested in Lucifer’s answer as Loki.

       “Um...I--I really don’t know. I mean, I’ve spent so much time taking care of my family and making sure that they were happy that I guess...I’ve never really thought about it.”

       Loki’s eyebrows creased, as if this was the most heartbreaking news he’d ever received.

       Lucifer attempted the smile again, but his facial muscles refused to cooperate. He coughed in the tense silence and tried to get someone else to talk. “Well, go on then. You’ve heard my side. What about you?”

       Loki looked like he wanted to argue the point further, but sat up with a small sigh. A smile curled up the corners of his lips and his eyes lit up. His words started out shy, but the more he talked the more excited he became. “I’m actually very fond of drawing. Actually, just art really. Once I graduate from college my dream is to...um, I’m not sure of the English word...In Norwegian we just say ‘ _dra på jordomseiling_.’ It means to go around the world?” he said, motioning in a circle.

       “Ah, yes. Circumnavigate,” Jack offered.

       Loki nodded. “Yes, I want to travel all the way around the Earth and draw what I see there. There are so many people and places that I’ve yet to see and the mystery of it all intrigues me. My father thinks it’s silly, to waste my time on something that won’t really bring any financial gain. But he doesn’t understand, it’s about so much more than that.”

       Lucifer stared at Loki with a look of awe in his eyes. His fingers flexed and he had the sudden urge to just kiss him right then and there. There must have been some sort of expression on his face that startled Loki, for the Norwegian looked at him with a surprised eyebrow raise and gave him a small smile, biting his lower lip. Luckily, Jack spoke before either of them did anything rash.

       “That is a wonderful goal, Loki.”

       “Yes,” Lucifer practically breathed the word, “you should definitely do that--”

       “And YOU should do what makes you happy, regardless of what others think,” Loki returned. It was so spot on with what Lucifer had been thinking about--how his brothers would react if they knew he wanted to kiss Loki--that Lucifer recoiled, eyes wide with shock. Jack looked between the two teens, then up at the clock. He smiled brightly.

       “Well, would ya look at the time! It’s five o’clock!!” He stood and put a hand on each of their shoulders, beaming. “I think we have made excellent progress here today! You boys need to go home and think about all you have learned today.”

       The teens were broken out of their thoughts and they gathered their bags. For once, they walked out together. Loki stopped once he got out to the steps and sat down. Lucifer paused after going a couple steps and turned back.

       “Why do you sit out here?”

       “Oh, I’m just waiting for my brother to get off work so he can take me home.”

       “Are you sure you don’t, um, I mean, I can give you a ride. If you want.” _Real smooth, kid._

       Loki looked like he was considering it for a brief second before shaking his head. “That’s alright, my brother should be here soon. If I wasn’t here, he might be worried. Um, I’ll see you tomorrow though?”

       Lucifer shrugged casually. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He waved as he crossed the parking lot and got into his car, his heart pounding wildly in his ribcage. Today had been too close. Too many times he had found himself on the brink of grabbing Loki by the collar and kissing him then and there. He laughed at the rashness of it. If Michael or Raphael ever found out he had even been contemplating doing any one of the things that had run through his mind during class that day, well, he’d have it in for him, that’s for sure.

       But would he, really? He thought about what Lilith had said earlier and what Loki had told him not long ago. If being with Loki was what he really wanted, shouldn’t that be his prerogative? He groaned and slammed his forehead on his steering wheel at a red light. This was way too much thinking for a Tuesday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for posting this so late in the day, busy busy. Finals coming up. So unprepared.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Oh, those two...So awkward. And Jack totally ships them. :)
> 
> As always, please read and send comments my way, I would love to hear from you!
> 
> Oh! and if there are any Norwegian-speaking people out there, please let me know if we did that snippet correctly! Our source was Google Translate, which doesn't always get things 100% right, sooo... please let me know if there are errors!  
> EDIT: great big shoutout to Shaded Mazoku, who helped me with the Norwegian part! <3


	6. DAY 6: From Out of the Rain

_Wednesday, DAY 6_

       Wednesday dawned dreary and cold, a light drizzle adding to the gloomy feeling. The weather forecast predicted storms by noon, which Loki was not excited about. Like everything else in America, it seemed, the storms felt more violent and loud than even the worst ones in Norway. It probably had something to do with the climate, but in any case he was not fond of thunderstorms. The gloomy weather also seemed to make almost everyone at school quieter and more downcast.

       Lucifer loved when it rained. It made the air feel cleaner, renewed. Everyone else seemed sad or droopy on rainy days, but Lucifer was usually more cheerful on them. He walked through the halls, smirking at all the unhappy faces. He paused mid-step when his eyes landed on Loki, who was biting his lower lip and looking around, confused. Lucifer debated with himself for a moment, then wove through the crowd in the hallway to get to the younger student. Loki didn’t see him at first; when he did, his eyes lit up and he smiled in relief.

       “Hey,” Lucifer said, leaning on the wall next to Loki, “I don’t normally see you in this area.”

       “My class is in one of the computer labs, but this school is a maze.”

       “Which one?”

       “The science wing lab?”

       “I know where that is. Want me to take you there?”

       Loki gave him a huge smile. “Thank you, that would be wonderful.”

       They walked side by side, silent for the most part. Loki had turned his head to look in a classroom when some beefy jock came barrelling down the hall, chased by his friend. Everyone pressed to the walls to get out of their way. Lucifer grabbed Loki by the elbow and yanked him out of the charging jock’s path, pressing his own back to the wall so they wouldn’t be hit. Loki stumbled and crashed into Lucifer’s front, knocking the air out of him with a small ‘oof’, his hands going to Lucifer’s chest and shoulder for stability. He looked up and their eyes met; both froze, fronts pressed flush together. They barely breathed.

       Lucifer was the first to react; he stepped around Loki and averted his eyes, looking anywhere but at the boy in front of him. He felt his cheeks flush and a flash of heat course through his body. Both of them muttered profuse apologies, tripping over their words and laughing nervously as they interrupted each other. Loki ran a hand through his hair and began meticulously scanning the tiles on the floor.

       “Um, the science wing is just down that hall. Turn left and it should be right past the bathrooms. I have to go...I’ll, uh, see you after school.” Lucifer turned around and walked briskly in the opposite direction.

       In truth, Lucifer’s class wasn’t that far down the hall from Loki’s but he needed to get out of the situation before he did something irrational that would ruin whatever they had going for them. As he rounded the corner, he saw Loki still standing in the same spot, watching him walk away. Lucifer thought he would have turned away as soon as he noticed his gaze was no longer one sided, but Loki didn’t look away, only flicked his eyes up to meet Lucifer’s. If anything, Lucifer thought, his stare intensified. It was a little far away but Lucifer could have sworn he saw the corner of Loki’s mouth twitch upward in a smirk before he disappeared from view. He told himself he was just seeing things but he couldn’t help but hope he was wrong.

* * *

       Thunder rattled the panes of glass. Loki flinched, but otherwise remained focused on his work. Lucifer was watching the storm dance in the sky--not Loki, who was framed by the window and complimented perfectly by the downpour, definitely not--and grinned as a huge bolt of light split the clouds, followed almost immediately by a deafening peal of thunder. Loki let out a quiet squeak and Lucifer saw the flicker of fear on his face. He looked over at their supervisor-- _Babysitter, more like_ , Lucifer thought--Mrs. Hudson. She was sitting at the desk rubbing her hip, prattling on about how stormy weather always made her hip twinge but it was so nice for the plants, the rain that is, not her hip, but the stairs in this building were really quite monstrous really how did they expect the older folk to go up and down 200 steps daily and her neighbor said--honestly, her students could barely get a word in edgewise when she really got going.

       She wasn’t really paying attention to them, though, so Lucifer transferred all of his work over a desk and hopped the space, sliding closer to Loki so they could talk fairly quietly. Lucifer tipped his head toward Loki, looking at him from the side of his eyes so it still looked like he was working should Mrs. Hudson look up.

       “Scared of a little lightning?”

       “I’m not _afraid_ of lightning, I’m just not overly fond of what --” Loki winced as thunder made the pencil on his desk rattle, “--follows. I don’t like loud noises, especially unexpected ones.”

       Lucifer contemplated this for a few moments, then put his pen down and fished around in his backpack. He made a triumphant sound and pulled out a pair of yellow plastic headphones. They were the kind he wore in the shop along with ear plugs, ones that reduced sound and surrounded the entire ear with a headband across the top that kept them sealed to block out as much noise as possible. Lucifer turned in his seat so his feet were in the aisle between him and Loki.

       “Push your hair back.” Loki was surprised by the command, so he pushed his hair away from his ears. Lucifer leaned over and placed the muffs over Loki’s ears, adjusting the headband for the best fit. The side of his thumb brushed Loki’s jaw as he was making adjustments and Loki sucked in a sharp breath at the contact, feeling his pupils dilate slightly. Lucifer stilled, watching Loki watch him.

       Lucifer felt his hand slip down and the thumb edge of his palm brushed against Loki’s cheek and jaw. He heard Loki inhale quickly and glanced at his face. Lightning flashed, so Lucifer couldn’t tell what caused the dilation of his pupils. He was tempted, oh so tempted, to try it again and see if the reaction was the same, but instead he drew his hands away. However, he wasn’t expecting Loki to turn his head like that after the lightning, an anticipatory flinch for the thunder sure to come, so his fingertips were lightly drawn across the length of Loki’s other cheek. Lucifer couldn’t help the shiver that ran the length of his body at the contact. He knew that smooth pale skin was going to feature in his dreams tonight.

       Loki’s eyelids lowered slightly at the touch of his calloused fingers on his cheek. It felt...it felt really quite nice. The most anyone really touched him was when Frigga or Thor would give him a hug, or someone would bump into him in the hallways. Lucifer’s touch, even one as accidental and faint as that, had an almost electric quality to it that made goosebumps break out on Loki’s arms. His body craved more, but instead he focused on the sudden quiet the headphones gave him. They didn’t completely block out the noise and he still felt it when the thunder rumbled, but it was much quieter and didn’t make his ears ring. He beamed at Lucifer and tapped the plastic.

       “Thanks. They help.” Talking was weird with the muffs on. Lucifer chuckled, so Lucifer must have spoken oddly or too loud. He mouthed “you’re welcome”--at least, Loki thought he did. Lip reading was not a skill he was good at yet.

       They both looked at the other for a long moment, then got back to work.

       When Mrs. Hudson took a breath long enough to realize it was 5 o’clock, she gasped and continued chattering on about how the time flies and for the boys to drive safe and try not to get too wet, talking even as she grabbed her purse and walked out of the room.

       Loki took the headphones off and handed them back to Lucifer. “Thank you. I might need to invest in a pair of those.”

       Lucifer smiled and stuffed them back into his bag. “We have a ton of extra pairs in the shop, I could grab you one.”

       “Wouldn’t that be stealing?”

       “Is it stealing if no one notices it’s gone?”

       “Yes.”

       “Then, yeah, I guess it would be stealing.” Lucifer grinned, standing up and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Loki took his own sweet time putting his work away as always but this time Lucifer stayed and waited for him.

       “I couldn’t ask you to steal for me. Don’t want you to end up back in here again.”

       They walked out of the classroom together, heading to the back door. It was quiet between them again, and this time around no moron came stampeding down the hall to break the silence. Lucifer debated sneaking a peek at Loki out of the corner of his eye but remembered the last time he had tried, he had found Loki already staring back. He wasn’t sure he could handle that twice in one day, so he remained staring straight ahead.

       Loki reached behind him and fished his scarf out of his bag and wrapped it around his neck, noticing that Lucifer was looking dead ahead, his neck rigid and his jaw set. If he had been concentrating any harder at not glancing sideways, Loki thought he might have burst a blood vessel. He discreetly gave Lucifer a once over, taking in how his shoulders were slightly hunched forward and the tension in his arms as he gripped the straps of his backpack.

       They stopped at the double doors, seeing the sheets of rain pouring down outside.

       “Well, this is going to be an interesting drive. I hope your brother makes it alright,” Lucifer said, eyeing a flash of lightning with foreboding.

       “It might let up by then,” Loki replied, pulling his jacket tighter around him.

       Lucifer gave him a questioning look. “How long do you have to wait for him?”

       “He gets off around six.”

       “You sit here by yourself for an hour?”

       Loki nodded, beginning to wonder where this conversation was heading. Lucifer seemed to be debating the same thing.

       “Well, I could take you to work with me. I mean, sitting at The Hub must at least be more comfortable than here. And between you and me, it wouldn’t hurt to have someone else for company. Ianto’s a nice guy but he’s not much of a talker.”

       “Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to get in the way of anything…”

       “Yeah, it’s fine. Plus, when it rains, Ianto always gives out free samples of one of his specialty coffees.”

       “Alright, you’ve convinced me. I’ll call my brother when we get there.”

       Lucifer grinned then turned back to the window. “Now there’s just the small matter of making it to the car without drowning.”

       Loki turned the collar of his coat up. “I suppose we just make a run for it?”

       “We don’t really have any other choice. On three?”

       Loki nodded, getting ready to run. Lucifer rolled his neck and put his palm flat on the door.

       “One….two….three!” They burst through the doors, Lucifer taking the lead and Loki following close behind. Lucifer skidded to a stop at the driver’s side door, unlocking it as fast as he could. Loki ran up to the passenger side and almost lost his balance, catching himself at the last second on the hood.

       Lucifer unlocked the doors and they both tumbled in, drenched but laughing.

       “It’s like we didn’t even try,” Lucifer sputtered, lifting the neckline of his shirt to dry his face off. Loki’s long, dark hair was plastered to his forehead, covering his eyes. He looked at Lucifer despondently, and then broke into a grin when he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Slicking his hair back, he sent a shower of water droplets cascading down his neck where they seeped into his jacket and he shivered.

       “You okay?” Lucifer asked, putting the keys in the ignition and starting the car.

       “Yeah, just cold.”

       Lucifer cranked up the heater and pulled out of the parking lot, driving achingly slow because the rain was falling so hard. “These windshield wipers don’t help shit.”

       “Are you sure we should be driving in this? Maybe we should pull over and wait for it to let up a bit.”

       “Nah, we can make it. It’s not that far. We’ll just have to drive kind of slow.” He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “I’m probably gonna be late for work, though.”

       Loki rubbed his hands together then wrapped his arms around his thin torso, trying to keep warm. Lucifer heard Loki’s teeth start chattering; he glanced over to see the boy shaking in his seat and water dripping off him. Loki looked up at him and gave him a feeble smile, hunching over further to conserve as much heat as he could.

       “Hey, I think I have another jacket in the back. You look a little cold to me.” He started to reach backward but Loki put a hand on his arm.

       “No, I’ll look. You keep your eyes on the road, I’ll need more than a jacket if you crash the car.” Lucifer pulled his arm back and put both hands on the wheel, leaning forward slightly as if that would help him see better. Loki unbuckled his seatbelt and stretched around to get into the back. Lucifer’s heartbeat picked up when he realized just how close Loki’s chest was but he forced himself to keep his eyes forward. Loki finally sat back down with an oversized hoodie in his hands and he set it on his lap. He peeled off his leather jacket and slipped into the hoodie before putting his own jacket back on. Tugging the hood free, he pulled it up over his head and sunk down into the folds until all that was visible were his eyes.

       “Better?” Lucifer asked, sparing him a sidelong glance.

       “Much. Thank you,” Loki replied, his voice muffled from inside the jacket. They rode the rest of the way in silence, Loki buried in his coats and Lucifer occupied by getting them to The Hub in one piece. At last, Lucifer squeaked into a parking space and he and Loki dashed out of the car and into the restaurant.

       Owen was sitting at the counter, chin resting in one hand and stacking a pyramid of muffins with the other. Ianto and Jack were at one of the tables, sipping drinks and talking. They all looked up when Lucifer and Loki entered, bringing the rain in with them.

       “Sorry I’m late, Ianto. You can barely see a thing out there.”

       “Don’t worry about it.” He gestured at the empty restaurant. “You’re not exactly missing the rush.”

       Lucifer went back into the kitchen and hung his jacket on the coat rack, exchanging it for his smock. Loki still stood at the doorway, unsure of how to proceed.

       Jack waved him over, motioning for him to sit at their table. Loki smiled hesitantly before weaving through the tables to take a seat next to Jack.

       “Don’t be shy, kid. We can continue our conversation from yesterday. I was telling Ianto earlier what you said about traveling around the world. I hope you don’t mind, sometimes I forget that people value teacher-student confidentiality.”

       “No, it’s fine. Would you pardon me a second, though? I need to call my brother.”

       “Not at all, go right ahead.”

       Loki got up from the table and grabbed his cellphone out of his bag. He left Jack and Ianto and went to stand in the corner and dialed Thor’s work desk number. Several rings went by before he picked up.

       “Magpie Electrical. Thor Solberg speaking.”

       Loki could tell from his greeting that Thor was not in a good mood. He could just picture his brother stuck behind a desk, sitting in a chair that was too small for him, bent over paperwork that only half made sense, and a frown covering his usual cheery face as he gazed out the window at the downpour.

       “Thor? It’s Loki.”

       “( _Loki! A friendly voice! Have you seen the weather outside?)”_ Thor’s voice brightened at hearing his brother.

       “( _Yes, I have. That’s why I assumed you’d be at your desk rather than working outdoors.)”_ He heard Thor let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the line.

       “( _I’ve been working on these papers all day. I do not understand all of the English and they gave me a desk that is too short. I can’t even put my knees under it. And I can hear the thunder, Loki. The storm sounds so beautiful today and all I can see is this tiny office.)”_ Loki listened to his brother vent while he fiddled with the drawstring on Lucifer’s hoodie.

       “( _What kind of paperwork are you doing? If you can’t read all of it, why are they letting you do it?)”_

       Thor didn’t answer for a second. “( _I don’t think they know.)”_

       Loki laughed aloud and the sound reverberated through the room. Jack, Ianto, and Owen turned to look at him and Loki felt incredibly self-conscious.

       “( _Listen, don’t pick me up at school today. I’m at this coffee shop called The Hub. It’s just across the street from the Biggerson’s on 66th Street.)”_

       Lucifer came out of the kitchen and turned his head as he realized Loki wasn’t speaking English; he couldn’t hear much of what the other teen was saying, only enough to know that he wouldn’t understand what was being said even if he could hear it clearly. Loki gave him a little wave and continued talking. Lucifer returned the wave and then went to take his spot behind the counter.

       “( _So do you know where that is?)”_

        _“(Yes, but how did you get there from your school? It’s raining rather heavily today.)”_

        _“(Makes it easier to swim.)”_

        _“(What?)”_

       Loki sighed as the joke went straight over Thor’s head. “( _I got a ride from a friend.)”_ He was almost surprised at how easily the word ‘friend’ rolled off his tongue. He glanced over at Lucifer who was attempting to topple Owen’s muffin tower by tossing giant marshmallows.

       “( _Ah, very well. I will pick you up there, then_.)”

       “( _Maybe when we get home we can sit on the porch and watch the storm.)”_ He could almost feel the intensity of Thor’s smile through the phone.

       “( _Yes, I would enjoy that. Goodbye, Loki.)”_

        _“(Bye, Thor.)”_ Loki hung up and shoved the phone in his pocket, taking his seat by Jack again.

       “Ianto, do you think you could whip up one of your rainy day specials? Loki hasn’t had one yet,” Lucifer said, abandoning the marshmallow strategy to swipe at the stack with his hand, sending them toppling over.

       “Oi! That’s cheating!” Owen protested, scooping up the rogue muffins and putting them back in order.

       “Both of you quit it before I take muffin reparations out of your paychecks,” Ianto said, getting up and walking over to the counter to start making Loki his drink. Lucifer and Owen glanced at each other.

       “‘Muffin reparations?’ Is that a professional business term?” Owen quipped.

       “Well, it’s my business so I can do what I want with it,” Ianto replied, pulling a mug from under the bar. He edged past Lucifer to get to the espresso machine.

       “What do you call that drink, again? I always forget,” Lucifer asked, stepping around the counter and taking a spot next to Owen.  
“‘A Touch of Torchwood.’”

       Lucifer and Owen exchanged glances again before collapsing in a fit of laughter.

       “What does that even mean?” Owen said, wiping a tear from his eye and trying to catch his breath.

       “It’s not that funny...” Ianto said quietly, pouring a few ingredients into the mug and stirring it.

       “I think it’s inspired!” Jack called from the table and gave Ianto a wink.

       “Thanks, Jack.”

       Owen and Lucifer kept laughing as Ianto carried the cup back to the table, put it in front of Loki, and sat back down. Lucifer watched Loki carefully as he picked up the small cup in his long artist’s fingers, lifting it with a slight downward tilt of his head as if in silent toast before taking a sip. He was focused on the flavor, swishing it around in his mouth a bit--and then his eyes got huge.

       Loki slowly set the cup down, his other hand flying to hover over his mouth. He was trembling slightly, tears forming in his eyes as he looked at Ianto before swallowing, not moving his hand. He finally seemed to realize he wasn’t breathing and shook a shuddering inhale.

       “This....this is not on your menu?” Loki’s voice was far more heavily tinged with his natural accent and he seemed to have to focus on the words he wanted to say. Ianto silently nodded, all watching the Norwegian wipe a tear from the corner of his eye. “I....I cannot imagine why. It is..it is by far the most **delicious** thing I’ve ever tasted. I do not know how to say this in your language...but to me, it takes a bit like... _drømmer går i oppfyllelse_. That...that basically means...dreams come true? It is AMAZING.” Loki takes another slow sip and practically moans in pleasure.

       Ianto was beaming and blushing deeply at the same time, unable or unsure how to react to such high praise. “Thank you. It’s just something I sort of came up with--”

       Jack threw an arm around Ianto and pulled him close. “He’s just being modest. Ianto here has a gift. In more ways than one I might add.”  
Ianto’s eyes widened and his cheeks flushed even brighter. “Jack, there are children in the room.” Jack just laughed and kissed Ianto on the forehead before letting him go.

       Owen and Lucifer eventually migrated from the counter to join the other three at the table and they spent the next twenty minutes chatting comfortably and enjoying mugs of Ianto’s special coffee.

       Their conversation was interrupted when a pair of headlights streaked across the windows of The Hub followed by the blaring of a horn. Loki looked up and saw the outline of Thor’s truck in the parking lot, just visible through the curtains of rain.

       “That would be my brother,” he announced. “Thank you all for letting me join you and for the coffee especially, Ianto. It truly was exceptional.”

       Ianto smiled at him and the others waved as Loki began to head out. Halfway across the room, he turned abruptly and exclaimed, “Oh, Lucifer, I’ve still got your jacket.” He started to unzip his own jacket and untangle himself from the layers of fabric but Lucifer interjected.

       “Hey, don’t worry about it. Just keep it and you can bring it back to me tomorrow.”

       “Are you sure?”

       “Yeah, it’s fine. I won’t need it.”

       Loki zipped his coat back up. “Thank you. See you tomorrow then.” He pulled the hood over his head and braced himself before opening the door and venturing out into the storm once again.

       Once he was gone, everyone’s eyes shifted to Lucifer.

       “What? I was doing him a favor! It was cold outside so I gave him a jacket. Don’t turn this into something more than it is.” No one said anything, just continued staring Lucifer down. “You guys are the worst.”

* * *

       Loki hunched in the passenger’s seat. He was cold, and the heater in the truck wasn’t all that great. He squirmed lower into the hoodie he was wearing and his nose was assaulted by a warm, rich scent. It smelled....really nice, actually. A sort of male muskiness and an almost woodland tinge, with a hint of sulfur and stone like a cave at the edge of the scent. Loki smiled and let his eyes slide shut. He’d have to ask Lucifer what cologne he used tomorrow...

       Thor glanced over at his brother and smiled. Loki was peacefully asleep, the deep hood of the borrowed hoodie hanging over part of his face, his lips turned up in a little smile. The elder reached over to angle a heater vent toward Loki more and turned the music a little lower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I went to see "The Hobbit" last night. :D It was amazing!  
> This is one of the longer chapters so far, but not the longest. It was fun to write though. Enjoy!
> 
> As always, please let me know if you spot errors or spots that don't make sense, your input is treasured.
> 
> And again, I tentively use Norwegian and hope Google translate has let me capture the feeling I'm going for. :P


	7. DAY 7: It's Not Like the World is Ending

_Thursday, DAY 7_

       Lucifer parked in his usual spot and walked into the building. He was earlier than he usually was, having sped all the way there. There was a deep set scowl on his face. He had gotten into a fight with Michael this morning and it put a bad taste in his mouth. Luckily, it was after Anna had walked Castiel to school; Lucifer hated it when his littlest brother saw them fighting. He rubbed a spot on his side where Michael had shoved him into the table; it was definitely going to bruise.

       He went to his locker and spun the dial, glancing down the wall of lockers, just an idle look around. He froze for a second when his eyes stopped on a familiar profile, then checked the time. The buses had arrived maybe seven minutes ago. Looking back up, he noticed Loki hadn’t seen him yet. The younger senior looked tired.

        _He must not be much of a morning person_ , Lucifer decided, smiling a bit when Loki had to stop rummaging in his locker to cover his mouth as a big yawn hit him. Lucifer caught himself smiling and shook his head, quickly opening his own locker and staring at the contents. It was devoid of personalization, just like his room back at home. Just books, notebooks, some pens and pencils, and a random stuffed moose toy that Lilith had gotten him for his birthday.

       After some time just staring into the space of his locker, Lucifer grabbed the books he’d need and shut the door. And nearly jumped out of his skin. Loki grinned mischievously at him from where he was leaning on the locker next to his. He had been blocked from Lucifer’s line of vision by the open door. Lucifer put one hand on his closed locker, leaning on it, while the other went over his pounding heart. He tried to scowl at Loki but it came out as a sort of pouty smile.

       “Don’t DO that to me, Loki, you’ll give me a heart attack!”

       Loki laughed and Lucifer couldn’t help but join in after a few seconds, closing his eyes and shaking his head. He leaned against the lockers more comfortably, facing Loki.

       “I’ve never seen you here this early before,” Loki commented, still smiling. Lucifer shifted against the lockers and winced when he bumped his new bruise. Instantly, Loki’s smile dropped and his brow creased in worry. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

       “Yeah, I,” Lucifer hissed in a breath, rubbing his side, “I just slipped in my kitchen this morning and hit my side on the table. It’s nothing major, just a bruise.”

       “Oh... You should be more careful.” Loki still looked concerned, but he let it go.

       Lucifer looked at his pale face and thought, _You have no idea how careful I have to be_. Loki’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

       “Three minutes until class. Who do you have for homeroom? I have Mr. Coulson with American History.” Loki stuck out his tongue and scrunched up his face in distaste. “It sucks _hestkuk_ that I have to take that class in order to graduate.”

       “It sucks what?”

       “ _Hestkuk_. It means horse cock.”

       Lucifer nearly doubled over laughing. “You have GOT to teach me how to say that sometime. Norwegian sounds so fucking awesome, like...seriously, it is such a cool language to listen to.”

       “I’d be happy to teach you, if you like my language that much,” Loki said with a grin.

       “I might take you up on that offer. My homeroom is with Jack, by the way.”

       Loki _tcht_ ed. “Lucky.”

       The bell rang a few seconds after that and they parted ways with a wave and a smile. Lucifer was feeling pretty good about life through his first classes. Loki had managed to erase all thoughts of Michael. He didn’t think anything could bring him down off his cloud.

* * *

       Lucifer clutched his lunch tray to his chest and picked his way over to the corner of the cafeteria where Lilith was already sitting, scrolling through her phone. He sat down and hooked his backpack over his chair.

       “I heard you took Loki to The Hub yesterday,” Lilith said without glancing up from her phone.

       Lucifer blinked, his mouth slightly open in disbelief. “Who the fuck did you hear that from?”

       “Tosh.”

       “Tosh? She wasn’t even there! When did Loki and I become the hot topic to gossip about around here?”

       “Oh, so you’re a couple now? Good, because we’ve been calling you Lokifer behind your back.”

       “.....What the hell have you been smoking?” Lucifer jabbed his fork into his mashed potatoes, color rushing to his cheeks. “We’re barely even friends. We only met last week.”

       Lilith put her phone down and propped her elbows on the table. “Yeah, speaking of, you sure do move fast, don’t you, Hot Rod?”

       “I haven’t moved anywhere...what are you saying?”

       “Oh, come on. You two are basically ripping each other’s clothes off with your eyes. I saw you this morning.”

       “This morni--are you stalking me?”

       “I’m your best friend, I’m allowed to do that.” Lilith took a bite of salisbury steak and grimaced. “Eugh, tastes like plastic.”

       “Don’t change the subject,” Lucifer almost growled. He pushed his tray out of the way and leaned over the table, looking Lilith straight in the eye. “What are you talking about?”

       Lilith furrowed her eyebrows, slightly stunned by Lucifer’s change in attitude. “Calm down, it’s not a big deal. I’m just saying it kind of seems like you’re rushing into this, is all. Like you said, you only met him a week ago; it’s not like the world is ending and you’re in dire need of a hand to hold.”

       Lucifer ran a hand through his hair. “Um, you know, I’m not really hungry. I’ll see you later.” He picked up his tray and backpack and strode off, dumping his almost untouched lunch into the garbage can.

       “Lucifer! Lucifer, come back, I didn’t mean--” Lilith called out but he didn’t so much as slow down.

* * *

       Loki smiled broadly as Lucifer walked into the room, stopping his work to greet him. Lucifer looked at him--then looked away. He sat on the other side of the room, three seats away from where he usually sat. Loki tried to keep his smile on his face but it faded into a sad, hurt expression. He turned back to his work, bewildered. Lucifer didn’t look at him except the occasional glance that turned into a grimace.

        _What happened? Everything was fine this morning_ … Loki wondered, staring emptily at his homework.

       Dr. Selvig came into the room, a stack of books under his arm and a folder of papers that was in danger of bursting.

       “You two probably already know the drill by now: no talking, get your work done, and I might let you go a little early because I don’t want to be here any more than you do.” He took his seat at the head desk and began the task of taming his papers.

       Lucifer dragged his Algebra book out and opened to a random page, not in the mood to study multivariable polynomials. He felt Loki’s eyes on him but couldn’t bring himself to look up. His conversation with Lilith had wormed its way into his mind, burying itself in his subconscious and showing no sign of letting go.

       Honestly, he wasn’t even sure what about it that had him so deeply shaken. She hadn’t said anything particularly infuriating but something about her words had gotten under his skin and he couldn’t get rid of them.

       Perhaps it was the pressure from everyone around him; from the very first mention of Loki, everyone had been pushing them together, whether they were aware of it or not. There were those like Jack who made it no secret that Lucifer should act on his feelings. And then were those like Cas, who was perhaps a little oblivious to the weight of his actions but nevertheless contributing in his own way. But then again, what was it that Lilith had meant before?

       Was Lucifer moving too fast? It certainly didn’t feel like he was moving at all. From day one, things with Loki had just seemed to forge their own path. Lucifer pressed his palms to his eyes, the numbers and letters in front of him blurring into nonsense. In fact, everything was fading into nonsense. Every thought was contradictory. Nothing felt right and yet it did, all at once. The toil of emotions that ransacked through his brain all turned back to one face.

       He thought it would be Loki’s. He would have understood that at least. But no, instead, all he could see was Michael. His brother’s dark eyes staring him down, seeing right through all the lies and facades. Judgment was written all over his face. Lucifer could see the disgust as plain as day. He wondered what his father would think, if he ever bothered to come out of his room and look at the state of his own family.

       He told himself it didn’t matter what Michael thought. That was another thing that Lilith had tried to make him understand but her words all mixed together now. The truth of the it was that it didn’t matter whether Lucifer cared about what Michael thought. Michael would hate him either way. Indifference wouldn’t stop the blows from coming.

       Maybe it was better that way. Whatever blossomed between him and Loki, whether it was just friendship or...something more, wasn’t made to last. Whenever his father was cured, Loki had nothing to keep him here. He would move back to Norway, back where he belonged, and everything would have been for nothing anyway. Besides, Lucifer had his own family to look after. Or Cas and Anna at least. And he couldn’t do that if Michael and the others beat him senseless for the transgression of loving the wrong person.

       Before he knew it, Dr. Selvig was dismissing them, his array of papers no more organized than before. Lucifer didn’t move for a moment, still trying to get a handle on his thoughts. He saw Loki out of the corner of his eyes, looking at him over his shoulder while he put his homework away neatly in his bag. When he stood up, he started walking toward Lucifer, a half smile on his face. Lucifer’s stomach rolled and he swept his Algebra into his backpack and darted out of the classroom, almost running through the school and out into his car.

       He remembered the last time that had happened. Their third day of detention. Loki had handed him his notebook back and electricity passed where their hands met. He had flown out of detention before anyone could notice how that brief exchange was affecting him. He had run away from what could have been; now here he was, running away from what couldn’t.

* * *

       Loki stood in the center of the classroom, watching the door slam shut behind Lucifer as his stomach tied itself into knots around his heart. What? Did Lucifer truly dislike him that much? What had happened between that morning and detention to make him like this?

       He slowly made his way through the halls, not even thinking to check to see if his brother was going to pick him up at the school. His head felt both overstuffed and incredibly empty at the same time. Lucifer had looked...almost afraid of Loki when he had approached him. Like he was some awful, horrible monster, a giant wolf that was going to eat the world. He sat down on the steps outside, staring blankly ahead. It seemed like years passed in seconds and Thor’s truck was pulling up. He got in the truck, feeling numb, and buckled his seatbelt. Thor didn’t move though, instead putting the truck in park and turning to him with an alarmed and worried expression.

       “ _(Brother? What is wrong?)_ ”

       “ _(Nothing is wrong, Thor. Please drive.)_ ”

       “ _(Bullshit, you’re upset. What is it? Who do I need to punch to make you feel better, Loki? Tell me and I will find them.)_ ” Thor gave him a tiny smile, but the look in his eyes and the tightening of his fist were serious. Loki gave him a pained smile and hunched in on himself.

       “ _(Please just drive, Thor. I...I don’t want to talk about it right now.)_ ” Thor could hear his brother was fighting his emotions, so he held his tongue and put the truck in drive. Loki watched the scenery blur by with empty eyes, wondering if Lucifer had only pretended to be his friend in order to hurt him more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooh, tension is on the rise!
> 
> Thank you all for your continued support. I love hearing from you, so please drop us a comment or favorite or follow! And don't forget to check out our Tumblr for exclusive headcanon bonus stories and fanart.
> 
> Have a happy "end of the world" and we'll see you next week. :)


	8. DAY 8: You Wouldn't Like Me Angry

_Friday, DAY 8_

       Loki went to school the next morning hoping that Lucifer had just had a bad day the day before and would be fine today. He hung out near his locker, but Lucifer didn’t show up until right before the bell rang and by then Loki was already in class. School felt...strange to Loki that day. There was an ominous feeling in the air, like something was going to break soon. Tension was rising inside him. He finally snapped 15 minutes into detention, in the middle of a cold and tense silence that had formed when Lucifer once again refused to look at him. Loki’s pencil snapped in half.

       “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Loki’s shout made Mr. Banner and Lucifer’s heads shoot up and turn to look at him. Loki was standing by his desk, his hands clenched into tight fists, his eyes glaring burning cold daggers at Lucifer. He walked over the desks separating them like they were awkward stepping stones, his eyes never leaving Lucifer, who had an angry, guarded expression on his face.

       Mr. Banner, the mild-mannered substitute teacher, looked alarmed and unsure of what exactly he should do. “Um... Mr. Solberg? Please sit back down....”

       “What’s wrong with _me_?” Lucifer snapped back, ignoring the sub, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

       “No, don’t you blame this on me!” Loki jabbed Lucifer’s shoulder with a bony forefinger. “Yesterday morning, everything was fine, and now you act like I’m carrying some disease!”

       “Maybe you are, I wouldn’t know.” Lucifer stayed in his seat, clasping his hands together and maintaining a painfully calm expression.

       “What is that supposed to mean?”

       “It means I’m not a doctor. I don’t know what the fuck is wrong with you.”

       “What? Lucifer, what happened? Why are you being all defensive?”

       “Me? I’m not being defensive. I was just working on Algebra until you decided it was a great idea to start yelling at me.”

       “I wouldn’t have yelled at you if you had actually TALKED to me. I can tell something is upsetting you.”

       “Oh, you can just tell? Who gave you the fucking right to judge me?”

       “Um....boys? Could...um, please stop....”

       “I thought we were FRIENDS!”

       “Well, you were wrong! We’ve known each other for a week and we met in detention. Why would I ever want to be friends with you?”

       Loki recoiled as if he had been physically hit. His eyes were wide and his breathing was shallow. He tightened his fists until the knuckles were even whiter than normal. “What...what is wrong with being friends with me? Why can’t we get along? We were doing just fine until yesterday.”

       “I don’t know what sort of delusional relationship you had going but it was really nothing of the sort. I took pity on you because you were some helpless, little, foreign...freak!”

       “Loki? Lucifer? Please stop fighting......don’t say something you’ll regret........I am not paid enough to deal with this.......”

       Loki clenched his jaw, rage and tears in his eyes. Lucifer felt guilty, but didn’t show it. “Fine. FINE. As if.....As if I would want to be friends with you. You...you...selfish bastard. I don’t know why your brother looks up to you, you are an awful role model, I hope he doesn’t turn out like you, a fucking--” He looked away, struggling with his words.

       “Boys, I’m serious, knock it off!... Please don’t make me get angry...”

       Lucifer stood, getting face to face with Loki and pushed him back a bit, eyes blazing. “A fucking what? You might as well spit it out, I’m sure we’d all like to hear what you have to say.”

       Loki spat something in Norwegian, a harsh word that Lucifer knew was an insult. “How can your mother possibly be proud of who you are, you are cowardly and idiotic and--”

       “My mother is dead, you son of a bitch!” Lucifer shoved him, sending him tripping backwards over a desk. Loki caught himself before he hit the ground and stood up on the other side of it.

       “Good! Then she can’t be disappointed in what a _failure_ you are!”

       “And what would you know, huh? Your own mother threw you out the first chance she got. Now all you have is some woman pretending to care about you and who will always love her own son more than she could ever possibly care about you.”

       “Boys?...I think this has gone far enough...”

       “You think I don’t know that? You think I’m not faced with the fact that I am second best every day of my life?! You know nothing of my pain! You have a family that actually cares about you, yet you waste yourself.”

       “Lucifer! Loki! Stop this right now!”

       “What do you know about my family? I have four brothers who hate me and a father who doesn’t give a shit. The only reason I’ve still got Cas is because he’s not old enough to figure out what’s wrong with me yet! So don’t you dare talk about family to me because you have no fucking idea.”

       “THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!!!!! BOTH OF YOU SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!!!!!” Banner’s roar startled both teens. He was red faced and leaning over the desk, breathing hard. “I don’t know what started this, but I am ENDING it! Do you understand me?! Where are you going??”

       Loki was gathering his stuff, shaking. He swung his bag onto his shoulders and headed out. However, he paused at the door and looked at Lucifer with sad eyes. “But maybe I could have, if you had only let me.”

       With that, he left. He was almost at the back door when the adrenaline wore off. He collapsed in the hallway, tears streaming down his face as a sob tore through his chest. He dialed Thor’s number with quivering fingers, running a hand through his hair. Thor picked up on the fourth ring.

       “Loki?”

       “ _(Thor, can,)_ ” his voice broke and he sucked in a gasp, “ _(can you pick me up early today?)_ ”

       “ _(Yeah, of course!)_ ” Thor was obviously alarmed, and Loki could hear him walking quickly over gravel. “ _(What happened?!)_ ”

       “ _(I just...I want to go home, Thor. Please.)_ ”

       “ _(I just need to tell my supervisor, I will be there soon.)_ ”

       Loki hung up and buried his face in his arms, drawing his knees up to his chest. True to his word, Thor was there not 20 minutes later. He got out of the truck and just held Loki as the younger brother sobbed into his shoulder, holding on like his sanity depended on it. Thor asked no questions, just helped Loki into the truck and drove home, glancing at him every few minutes.

* * *

       Lucifer was shell shocked. In every possible scenario he had imagined, not one of them had accounted for this. He thought maybe if he ignored Loki, the other boy would either take the hint and leave him alone or at least get bored with trying. Not once did he consider the impact their brief friendship might have had on him. Apparently, it was strong enough to make Loki want to fight to keep it intact.

       It was supposed to be for the best; Lucifer was surprised when Loki came at him demanding to know what was wrong but he was still set on putting a stop on their budding relationship. So he had tried to play it cool, keep his voice calm and try to diffuse Loki’s anger. But that obviously hadn’t worked, and things escalated quickly from there.

       Lucifer wasn’t sure what made him say the things he did. He started out innocently enough, but with each lie he got progressively more hurtful and Loki retaliated until things were utterly personal.

       Mr. Banner was still seething at the front desk, staring at the door where Loki had walked out. Lucifer was watching too, Loki’s last words ringing in his ears. _But maybe I could have...._

       It was enough to make Lucifer’s chest constrict and for a moment he felt like he couldn’t breathe. The enormity of everything that had just happened washed over him in an instant and his knees gave out under him. He collapsed in the desk, clutching at his heart.

       It was barely even 4 o’clock but it felt like days had gone by since detention had started. Lucifer sat back in his chair, his homework forgotten on the desk. Mr. Banner sat back down as well, apparently deciding that he might as well keep his eye on one of the students instead of chasing down the other.

       The last hour of detention dragged by. When Mr. Banner dismissed him and shuffled out of the classroom, Lucifer realized he hadn’t moved. His body protested when he got up, his joints stiff from sitting still and the bruise from Michael reminding him of its presence.

       He staggered out into the hallway, winding his way through the school until he reached the back door. Loki was gone already but that was to be expected. He had no reason to stay. Lucifer had made quite sure of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, that was exciting. See you next week!! <3
> 
> OH! And make sure you check out our tumblr page, thegoodshiplulo.tumblr.com, bonus headcanon and some pictures by us have been posted there!


	9. DAY 9: Little Blue and Little Yellow

_Monday, DAY 9_

       Loki stared up at his ceiling Monday morning. He didn’t feel like getting out of bed, and he certainly did not feel like going to school. Maybe Frigga would believe him if he said he wasn’t feeling good, but he also didn’t want to spend the day in the house with Odin. So, he grabbed his school stuff, walked to the edge of the block, cut back through some backyards, and let himself into his garage. He took his bike off the wall as quietly as he could and wheeled it out the side door, locking it again.

       For most of the morning, Loki just rode around the town, exploring and letting the repetitive motions soothe him. Eventually, however, he grew tired and chilled. At first, he was going to stop at The Hub but...no. His chest tightened painfully at the mere thought of the place. It reminded him far too much of Lucifer’s smile and his laugh. Instead, he turned to the library. He picked a section that didn’t seem to get a lot of traffic and sat with his back against a bookshelf, staring blankly at the spines of the books before him. His empty thoughts were interrupted by a sneakered foot prodding his side. He scowled up at the unimpressed college-age looking woman, who merely raised her eyebrows at him.

       “What’s got you so down, SadKid? Also, scoot to your left. I need to get at the books your scrawny back manages to cover.” Loki’s scowled deepened and he said nothing, but he moved over. The woman took a few books off the shelf, then lowered herself to the ground to sit beside him. She stacked the books next to her, then turned to him. “Seriously, what’s wrong? I haven’t seen someone look that sad since my best friend’s lab equipment got taken away because some idiot thought she was cooking crack.” The woman bumped shoulders with him. “My name is Darcy, by the way.” Loki didn’t answer. “Alright, SadKid, be all Mr. Mopey Pants.”

       Loki rolled his eyes and sighed. “My name is Loki.”

       “Mmmm, I like SadKid better. So, why so sad, SadKid? And I do hope you realize that I won’t go away until you tell me.”

       Loki groaned and tipped his head back against the shelf behind him. “...Someone I thought was my friend turned out to be lying to my face.”

       “That sucks.”

       “Why do you even care?”

       “Because,” Darcy shifted to move a book corner away from her spine, “I don’t like to see people sad. You wanna talk about it?”

       “Not really.”

       “You sure? You look like you want to talk about it.”

       “No, I do not!” Loki glared at her; her lips curled up in a sarcastic smile.

       “Riiiight. That’s why you came to a public area to pout. Come oooon, SadKid! Talk to me! I swear I’ll tell not a soul!”

       Loki fiddled with a hole in his jeans, heaving a big sigh and trying to decide where to start. “So, I got detention for a month and--”

       “Oh, bad boy, huh? Sounds like a good story already.”

       Loki glanced over to see Darcy smiling, barely holding in a laugh. He just sighed and continued his tale.

       “Anyway, I met this boy there and I thought we were getting along. I mean, the first few days were a bit weird but then we, I dunno, connected. Or.....I did at least.” He ran a hand through his hair, looking away from Darcy. “We had a big fight on Friday. He said... he said he wasn’t my friend and that any connection we had was a delusion on my part. It hurt when he said that...”

       Darcy pursed her lips, thinking as she thumbed through the pages of a book idly. “Sometimes people say mean things to protect themselves from being hurt.”

       “I would never hurt him!” Loki protested, shocked at even the thought.

       “Maybe not intentionally, but he could have had some bad experience in the past. If he doesn’t have many friends, it could be that he’s just afraid to get close to someone.” She saw he still looked sad and stood after patting his knee. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

       Loki watched her leave, then returned his staring to straight ahead of him. He was startled when a small stack of thin, colorful books was plunked down in front of him. Darcy settled in again and picked up the top book.

       “It’s my guilty pleasure on a sad day. I read happy little kid books. Usually in funny voices. Come on, read one with me!”

       Loki gave her a look like, “ _Are you serious?_ ” Darcy just opened the book and put on a serious expression. However, her voice came out high pitched and oddly accented, something that sounded like an awful Indian accent. Loki had to laugh, and soon they were taking turns reading the 10 page books in increasingly hilarious accents.

       “This is the first time I’ve ever skipped school,” Loki confessed 12 stories in.

       “This guy must have seriously messed with your head.”

       “Yeah. He, I don’t know, he seemed...special. I really thought we had something going and then....” He sighed and glanced at his watch. “I should probably go home... Thank you very much.”

       “Yeah, no problem. Made my day better too, I was just going to be doing research all day. Hey,” her tone was kinder and more serious, “give that guy another chance, okay?”

       Loki paused, then smiled. “I will. Thanks, Darcy.”

       “Don’t be sad, SadKid!”

       After a brief call to his brother informing him he had another way home and didn’t need a ride, Loki unlocked his bike from outside and rode home in higher spirits than he had been in since Friday. Loki wasn’t losing his only friend in America without a fight--well, he’d already had one of those. But that didn’t mean he was giving up without trying his hardest to make Lucifer see that they could be great together.

* * *

       When Loki didn’t show up for detention on Monday, Lucifer assumed the worst. The weekend had been hell for him; he could only imagine what Loki had felt like. He winced every time one of the awful things he’d said to Loki played over in his mind. What if he’d gone too far? He knew Loki was on shaky ground already, that much he had gathered from their short time together. What if Lucifer’s withdrawal had been the last straw...

       No. He wouldn’t have. He couldn’t have. Could he? They didn’t know each other that well; Lucifer didn’t know what Loki was capable of. But surely Lucifer’s friendship didn’t mean _that_ much to him.

       Another day went by without Lucifer getting any homework done. Thoughts of Loki’s well-being haunted him all through detention, the drive to work, and most of his shift.

       On his break, he made himself a cup of coffee and tossed a few dollars in the tip jar before walking out from behind the counter and going to take a seat. He saw Jack in his usual corner and the man waved him over.

       “Have a seat, you look like you need to talk to someone,” Jack said as Lucifer sat down across from him.

       “I don’t know. I mean, yeah, I got stuff on my mind but I don’t know if I wanna talk about it.”

       “Well, I hate to inform you of this, but this is a no brooding zone so I’m gonna have to ask you talk about it anyway.”

       Lucifer wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be irritated by Jack’s pushiness. “It’s--I just... I made a mistake. But it’s one that I think was necessary. But...if it was the right decision...why do I feel like shit?”

       Jack put his cup down and straightened up in his chair. “Tell me what happened.”

       Lucifer sighed and put his forehead in his hands. “I really don’t know when it happened. Things were going...fine. And then I just couldn’t get this idea out of my head. Like no matter what I did everything was going to go wrong. I thought by cutting it off early I’d be doing us both a favor but...it didn’t go as planned. We both said things we didn’t mean. At least...I hope...he didn’t mean.”

       “I’m gonna jump the gun here and assume we’re talking about Loki.” Lucifer didn’t answer and Jack took his lack of response as confirmation. “Okay, to be fair, I’ve only met the kid a couple of times but he seems like the kind of person who is perfectly mild mannered until you push them. And it sounds to me like you pushed him.”

       “I had to...”

       “Lucifer, I can’t tell you what the ‘right’ decision is. If you’ve convinced yourself that the best way to go about this is to forget it ever happened, there’s nothing I can say to make you think otherwise. But I don’t sense that’s true. I think you and I both know what’s going on here but you’re afraid to admit it.”

       Lucifer picked at a chip in the table and avoided Jack’s eyes.

       “Forgive me if I’m out of line here, but I have a feeling it’s not really you that’s making the decision here, it’s your brother. And if you let him dictate your life, I can tell you that that is what’s going to make everything go wrong. If you like this kid, and I know you do, then forget about what your brother says and do what makes you happy.”

       Lucifer flicked a crumb off the table. “How do you do it? You know, don’t people like...persecute you for it?”

       Jack smiled, running his finger around the rim of his cup. “You get the looks sometimes. Other times people might let you know their opinions in a little more forceful ways, yeah. But people are judged every day for all kinds of things that don’t matter. And I just know that every night I go home to someone who loves me.” He looked over Lucifer’s shoulder where Ianto was busy making tea at the front counter, a tender smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “And that’s what’s important. Not anyone else.”

       Lucifer finished his coffee in silence, standing up as soon as he swallowed the last drop. “I should get back to work.” He paused. “Thanks, Jack. For everything.”

       Jack smiled and saluted. Lucifer returned to his post and completed his shift with a whole new decision weighing on his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> about the title: This is the title of a real children's book [http:// www(.)barnesandnoble(.)com/w/little-blue-and-little-yellow-leo-lionni/1101890383?ean=9780688132859]. We chose it based on the descriptions: "Little blue and little yellow share wonderful adventures. One day, they can't find one another. When they finally meet, they are overjoyed. They hug until they become green. But where did little blue and little yellow go? Are they lost?" and: "Little Blue and Little Yellow are so happy to see each other that they hug and hug until they are united into one green mass. When they return home, nobody recognizes them, but when they begin to cry, their tears separate them back into their original selves. Their parents are so relieved that they all hug. This gentle parable offers simple lessons in color, friendship, and acceptance." it seemed to fit the mood and general theme of this Chapter the best, while also being an adorable kids' story.  
> We hope you enjoy! Please leave some love with kudos and comments, we simply adore hearing from you!!


	10. DAY 10: Miracle Day

  
_Tuesday, DAY 10_

       Lucifer got to school almost half an hour early the next day, determined to catch Loki before school--if he even came, which Lucifer hoped he did. The teen was hanging out by his locker when Lilith came up to him. He started to greet her with a smile--then his head was snapped to the side from the force of her slap. He rubbed his reddening cheek as he turned back forward to stare at her in incredulous bafflement.

       “What was that for?”

       “You fucking moron! What did you do?” People in the hallway turned to stare and Lucifer shrunk against his locker in embarrassment.

       “What are you talking about? Ow!” Lilith slapped him again.

       “Don’t play that shit with me. What happened?” She jabbed her finger into his chest, waiting for him to answer.

       “I--we--I told him I didn’t want to be friends with him and we might have said a few mean things to each other.”

       Lilith growled in exasperation, walking in a little circle and dragging her hand across her face. “You idiot! Why? What could have possibly possessed you to do that?”

       Lucifer spluttered. “Possessed me? You’re the one who told me I was moving too fast!”

       “Oh my god, you are literally the most oblivious person on the planet! I have done nothing but throw you at his feet since before you even told me his name!”

       “But you--at lunch--and I...stop giving me mixed signals!”

       “Do you not get sarcasm at all? Because I really don’t know how I could have made it more obvious that I think you two should be together. Do you need a fucking powerpoint?” Lilith put her hands on her hips.

       “Could you keep your voice down? His locker is right over there,” Lucifer hissed.

       "Oh, the buses won't arrive for another four minutes, we're fine. Now," she crossed her arms and cocked a hip out, glaring at him meaningfully, "how are you going to fix this?!"

       Lucifer sputtered intelligibly, then paused. "How do you even know about the fight?"

       Lilith rolled her eyes. "You talked to Jack, who of course tells Ianto everything. Ianto was fretting about it to Owen, who told Tosh who texted me last night. The only reason I didn't  send you something was because they haven't invented a slap message." She saw the look Lucifer was giving her. "We all want you to be happy, Luci, and if that means you need to be with Loki, then all the better."

       Lucifer opened his mouth to respond when the doors to the bus loading area opened. Teens poured in and headed straight for their lockers. Loki paused when he saw Lucifer and Lilith by the lockers. He squared his shoulders and went directly to where Lucifer stood. Lucifer stared at Loki, who stopped a few feet away.

       "I'm not giving up on our friendship." Loki's voice was firm, determined, but at the same time had an edge of cautious hope. "And I refuse to let one stupid fight come between us."

       Lucifer saw Lilith wiggling her eyebrows at him out of the corner of his eye and watched her subtly slink out of the conversation, leaving the two of them alone. Well, as alone as two high schoolers could be when surrounded by hundreds of their milling, shouting classmates. Loki was bumped into from behind and took a stumbling step toward Lucifer before regaining his balance.

       Lucifer steadied him with a hand on his shoulder and then guided them closer to the lockers and out of the way of oncoming traffic.

       “You said that I was fooling myself if I thought that we were friends but I--”

       Lucifer cut him off before he could get any farther. “Listen, what I said on Friday was...way out of line. I was wrong and I never should have said those things to you. They were lies and you didn’t deserve that. I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m sorry and I don’t expect you to forget it happened but do you think we could....move past it? Start over?”

       Loki’s shoulders relaxed and he scuffed his feet. “You don’t have to apologize; I said some awful things to you, too. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry. And for that, I’m sorry.”

       Lucifer snorted. “Really, if we’re going to blame someone, it should be me. But maybe we can just agree that we both messed up and go back to being friends?”

       “Yes. I would like that.” They both shuffled awkwardly before Lucifer offered his hand. Loki took it and they shook hands.

       As they let go, Loki said, “I should get to class, I’ll see you after school?” Lucifer nodded and Loki turned around and went on his way.

       Lilith danced over as he left, punching Lucifer in the shoulder.

       “Jesus, Lil!”

       “I told you! I told you it would work out!” She laughed and hugged him. “I’m telling everyone,” she said as she pulled away, already whipping her phone out of her pocket. She started texting furiously as she walked away, calling out over her shoulder, “See you at lunch, Casanova!”

       Lucifer rolled his eyes and slammed his locker. When he walked to class, he felt so much lighter on his feet.

* * *

       Loki couldn’t help the broad smile on his face, or the bright feeling in his chest, that stayed there all day long. He glanced at the clock or his watch every few minutes, impatiently awaiting the arrival of detention. He finally, FINALLY, had a real friend here and he wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. (And if his friend happened to be incredibly attractive? Well, that was just a bonus.)

       The second hand seemed to tick slower and slower as the end of the school day neared. Loki watched the clock, already mostly packed, ignoring the teacher. The moment the bell rang, Loki’s books were in his bag and he was launching himself out of his seat. He ran to his locker to exchange books, then fought the seething mass coming down the staircase like a salmon valiantly swimming up a waterfall. Five minutes later, he was in the room for detention. He headed for his normal seat, then grinned and sat down in the desk Lucifer normally sat in, not counting last Thursday or Friday as “normal”. He settled in and got out some work, though he was too hyped up to actually do any of it.

       About four minutes and 23 seconds later--not that Loki was staring at his watch or anything--Loki heard the door open and looked up with a huge smile that made his cheeks hurt.

       Lucifer wasn’t expecting the blindingly bright smile that greeted him when he opened the door. He was taken aback, his eyes wide in shock, then his mind caught up and he smiled back. He walked over to sit where he usually sat and realized Loki was sitting there instead. The grin Loki gave him said he knew exactly what he was doing. Lucifer smirked down at him and took the seat right next to him.

       “That’s my seat, you know.”

       “Really? I hadn’t noticed.” Loki wondered for a moment if he was perhaps jumping into this maybe a little too fast. They had, after all, only made up this morning. But then he figured, screw it, why not go for it? Live a little.

       Lucifer grinned and spread out his own homework as Mr. Fury walked in the door.

       “There will be no messing around in this class; I expect you to sit down, keep your mouths shut, and I want to forget that you two exist for the next two hours. Do you understand me?”

       Loki couldn’t help answering “Yes, sir,” but managed at least to keep himself from saluting. Mr. Fury’s soldierly presence certainly put a damper on the playful mood that Loki and Lucifer had been settling in to.

       Mr. Fury sat down in the teacher’s chair and propped his feet up on the desk, snapping open a newspaper. The expression on his face, the one that made it look like he was angry at everything, never changed a bit.

       Lucifer and Loki were too rattled by Fury’s directive to talk so they grudgingly set to work.

       About 10 minutes in, though, after he was sure Mr. Fury was invested in his paper, Lucifer scribbled a note on a scrap piece of paper and tossed it on to Loki’s desk. Loki glanced up to make sure Mr. Fury wasn’t paying attention and then carefully unfolded the note, wincing when the paper crinkled. _The Hub? After school today?_ Loki felt that brightness in his chest again and he scrawled out a reply.

           He discreetly pushed the paper off the desk and Lucifer bent over to retrieve it. _Will there be Torchwood involved?_

       Lucifer snorted in laughter, quickly disguising it in a cough. Mr. Fury eyed him suspiciously but turned back to his reading. Lucifer wrote back: _Depends on how much you suck up to Ianto. Lay it on real thick like last time and you might have a chance._

_Then I suppose I could be convinced to come along._

       Lucifer smiled and peeked at Loki, who was twirling his pencil in his fingers with a little smile on his face, staring at his homework but obviously not really seeing it. He turned his gaze back to the note, wondering what else he could say. He wanted to keep this going, but his mind was blanking. A pencil eraser prodding at his elbow claimed his attention. Loki slid a folded piece of paper to him.

      _What’s your class schedule? I want to see if any of our paths cross during the day._

       Lucifer had to think for a moment. He carefully wrote each class and passed it back. Loki tapped his pencil on his chin before writing. Mr. Fury glanced up and both boys did their best to look like they were deep in thought. He gave a ‘humph’ and turned the page of his newspaper. Loki returned the note. It had his schedule, followed by, _Looks like the only teachers we share are Ms. Pond and Ms. Noble. And it doesn’t look like our paths will cross very much if at all._

      _Yeah. Too bad, I was hoping I’d see more of you during the day._

_Same here._

_Wait, you’re taking Calculus, Advanced English, AND Advanced Physics? What are you, some kind of genius or something?_

_Yeah, I wish. I barely scrape by in Physics and I’m pretty sure Satan invented Calculus._

_Very funny._

_Haha, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Do you get that a lot?_

_Only every time I meet someone new. I’ve kinda gotten used to it._

       They continued passing notes back and forth until Mr. Fury snapped his paper down.

       “Okay, time’s up, maggots,” Mr. Fury announced. “Get out of here.”

       Loki and Lucifer packed their things as quickly as they could, walking out together. Loki called Thor to tell him to pick him up at the Hub today, then got in Lucifer’s car. Lucifer buckled in then turned on the car and fiddled with the A/C settings.

       “Do you mind if I put in some music?” He asked, pulling a CD from the holder on his sun visor.

       “No, go ahead. I probably won’t know the songs, but that’s fine with me.” Loki tugged on his belt to make sure it was secure.

       Lucifer pressed the CD into the player and adjusted the volume. He put the car in drive and pulled out of the spot, bobbing his head to the beat as a song began. Lucifer sang along with the vocals, grinning at Loki occasionally.

       As he expected, Loki didn’t know most of the songs, but he enjoyed the music and seeing Lucifer so happy. They pulled into a parking space at the Hub and walked in together, laughing at a snide remark Lucifer had made in response to a bumper sticker on someone’s car. Tosh smiled at them, but she was talking to a customer so she couldn’t say anything yet.

       Loki sat down in one of the lounge chairs that Lucifer and Lilith usually sat in every Saturday. Lucifer stood next to him, talking for a bit, then went into the kitchen to put his school things in the coatroom. Tosh watched Lucifer reemerge in his Hub smock and go straight to Loki, saying something that she couldn’t quite hear. Loki laughed and Lucifer walked away as Loki pulled out some of his books before getting up to join the line. Tosh grinned widely at Lucifer as he approached the counter and slipped behind it.

       “I see you and Loki made up after your fight,” the Asian teen commented after handing the customer their drink.

       Lucifer ran a hand through his fluffy hair, grinning. “Yeah, it was just...I was being stupid is all.”

       Tosh snorted. “I bet you were. I’m glad, Loki is good for you.” She smiled cheerfully at the next customer as they stepped up to her register.

       Lucifer turned on his own register and after fiddling with the settings he looked up with a smile and called out, “I can help whoever is next!”

       Loki immediately stepped into his space, smiling.

       “Ah, good afternoon, sir. What can I get for you today?” Lucifer gave Loki his best professional smile, but there was laughter in his eyes.

       “Hmmm.....I think I’ll take A Touch of Torchwood.”

       “I’m sorry, sir, that item doesn’t appear to be on the menu.” Lucifer’s lips twitched as he tried not to break character.

       “Then I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask to speak to your manager.” The woman in line behind Loki rolled her eyes, crossing her arms before switching over to Tosh’s line.

       “Very well. Ianto!” Lucifer called. “This customer would like to speak to you.”

       Ianto turned around from his station at the bar, concern on his face until he realized it was just Loki. He shook his head slightly, smiling before coming over to join them. “What seems to be the issue?”

        “This man is trying to order A Touch of Torchwood,” Lucifer said, pointing at Loki accusingly.

       Ianto looked confused. “But it’s not raining.”

       Lucifer nodded and shrugged. “I was going to explain but he asked to speak to you right away.”

       “Please? Could you make an exception just once? It was so delicious,” Loki pleaded, clasping his hands together.

       “How do you expect to savor it if I just whip it up for you every time you ask?” Ianto winked and returned to his spot.

       Lucifer turned back to Loki with a pout. “Sorry, looks like you’re going to have to order something else.”

       “You promised me I could have some if I came.” Loki crossed his arms and squinted at Lucifer.

       “No, I said you might have a chance if you were a big suck-up. Guess that didn’t really work out for you.”

       Loki let out a huff through his nose, reading the menu board for an alternative. “Well, then I suppose I’ll have......what’s a Miracle Day? What do these names even mean?”

       “I don’t know; Ianto likes to get creative and no one really tells him different. A Miracle Day is basically a mocha except with white chocolate.”

       “Alright, I’ll try that, then. Also, I’d like a chocolate chip cookie, please.”

       Lucifer typed his choice into the register and gave Loki his total before calling out the order to Ianto. Loki moved off to the side to wait and Lucifer continued attending to customers. When his line died out, he went over to help Ianto catch up.

       With Loki’s cup in his hand, Lucifer walked over to where he was waiting and held the drink out to him. Loki took it and waited for the other half of his order but Lucifer was already turning to go back to his register.

       “Wait, you forgot my cookie.”

       Lucifer stopped and looked around him, checking his pockets and on the counter as if he’d misplaced it.  He put his hands on his hips and tapped his foot, looking like he was trying to remember where he’d put it. Loki watched him, a puzzled look on his face.  All of the sudden, Lucifer gasped like he had finally figured it out. He reached out and touched Loki’s forehead, then chest, before twirling his hand to reveal the lost cookie.

       Loki stared for a moment and then blushed, smiling at his friend. “You’ve been practicing,” he said, glancing away for a moment before looking back at Lucifer.

       “I may have been paying a little more attention than I initially admitted.”

       Loki took the cookie from Lucifer slowly, letting the tips of his fingers drag down Lucifer’s palm. He did this all with a huge smile, never breaking eye contact. Lucifer’s eyes were locked with Loki’s, so he saw when Loki tipped his head slightly sideways, his eyes flickering down his face for half a moment. He leaned over the counter toward Lucifer, almost as if…as if…

        _Oh my god…he’s not going to……is he??_ Lucifer felt his heart rate triple with Loki’s smile, his body positioning. He licked his lips unconsciously, staring at the other teen in disbelief, guarded hope, panic.

       “Thank you.” Loki’s smile transformed into a sly smirk and he murmured, “you’re not the only one that pays attention.”

       With a wink, Loki bit into his cookie and twirled away from the counter, walking over to his spot in the back. Lucifer remained standing exactly as he was, barely breathing, still as a statue, with his eyes wide. Owen walked up to the counter to retrieve an order and saw Lucifer standing there and staring. He turned, looking in the direction Lucifer was. There wasn’t anything unusual that would merit such rapt attention. Owen looked back at Lucifer, then stood in front of him, thinking it was the angle. Nope, still nothing. He faced the blonde teen again and waved a hand in front of his face.

       “Lucifer? Hey, you in there, buddy?”

       Lucifer blinked and sucked in a deep breath, a full-body shudder wracking his frame and turning his gasp shaky. He blinked a few times and gave Owen an apologetic grin, a blush staining his cheeks out of embarrassment. Owen’s eyebrows rose.

       “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just…lost in thought.”

       He turned back to his register as a woman walked up to it. Owen was still giving him a look that read, ‘excuse me, please kindly explain exactly what the fuck just happened?’ Lucifer gave him an annoyed glance and casually waved him off, ringing up the woman’s purchase. Owen turned to Tosh for an explanation, but she seemed just as shocked as he felt, though Owen thought she also looked suspiciously delighted.

       “Shit, I missed something, didn’t I?” he whispered to her.

       “Only everything,” she replied with a sly grin. He knew the moment Tosh could go on break, her fingers would fly over the keys of her phone’s keyboard and seconds later the entire grapevine would know about Lucifer and Loki’s little flirt show.

* * *

       “ _(I HAVE RETURNED WITH SUSTENANCE!!)_ ” Thor bellowed happily into the house as he tried to kick off his shoes while still holding all the bags of groceries. Frigga came out of the living room to help him and took most of the bags. She blinked in bewilderment at some of the contents held inside the plastic sacks.

       “ _(Thor?)_ ”

       “ _(Yes, dear mother?)_ ”

       “(What...what exactly did you buy?)”

       “ _(Is it not what was on the list? I apologize, some of these labels are very hard to read, and many of the names did not make sense. I tried to match the pictures of the foods on them to what we needed, though. Did I do badly?)_ ” Thor had a look in his eyes, like a puppy that had just had it’s toy taken away from it and then kicked. Frigga sighed and stroked his face, the rasp of his short beard on her hand audible. She smiled at him.

       “ _(I will figure out something, Thor. I do not blame you, you did your best and I’m proud of you.)_ ” Thor perked up, leaning down to kiss his mother’s cheek. “ _(_ _But next time I am sending Loki to do the shopping. I don’t even know what this is._ _)_ ”

       Thor frowned. “ _(I can take it back to the store, if you wish, mother,)_ ” he said.

       “ _(No, no, Thor. I will just have to come up with something new.)_ ”

       Frigga took the groceries into the kitchen and unpacked the bags, trying to figure out exactly what they all were. Thor was right, many of the labels seemed impossible to read. She went upstairs and knocked on Loki’s door.

       “ _(Loki? Could you come downstairs and help me please?)_ ”

       Loki opened his door, a questioning look on his face. “ _(Is something wrong?)_ ”

       “ _(Your brother went shopping and I don’t know exactly what he got. I need you to read the labels for me.)_ ”

       “ _(Yeah, sure thing, mother.)_ ” Loki followed her downstairs and raised his eyebrows at the array of boxed, bagged, and canned foods. The fresh produce was easy, it didn’t have a label to be confused by, though some of the tomatoes Thor had picked were overripe. The other items however....

       “ _(He got...birdseed? Why did he get birdseed?)_ ”

       “ _(Perhaps.......No, I have no idea.)_ ”

       “ _(These items are....random. I understand the macaroni and cheese, the basil, and the catsup. Apparently he likes pop tarts...the eggs, bread, and pizzas make sense. Everything else....I have no idea.)_ ” Loki told her exactly what each ‘random’ item was, as well as why he thought Thor might have gotten it. Most of it was picture or label difficulties, but the birdseed still stumped him.

       “ _(Luckily, he got enough produce and...useable items that we can have a salad for dinner. And we still have some leftovers from yesterday.)_ ”

       “ _(Good, I wasn’t looking forward to pop tarts for dinner.)_ ”

       Loki and Frigga shared a smile. The youngest son helped her prepare the salad and heated some leftovers for himself. Thor’s loud footfalls down the stairs announced his arrival. He immediately went to pop four pop tarts into the toaster.

 _“_ _(Thor? Why did you get birdseed?)_ ”

 _“_ _(I did no such thing.)_ ”

       “ _(I beg to differ,)_ ” Loki said, holding up the bag. Thor frowned, confused.

 _“_ _(That is not your breakfast cereal?)_ ”

 _“_ _(No! Why would you think it is?)_ ”

       “ _(You described it as being in a red or purple container with a colorful cartoon bird on the front.)_ ”

 _Loki stared at him, then at the purple bag with the cartoon birds on the front. It all made sense now. “_ _(Oh. Well, I can understand why you would be confused.)_ ” Loki patted Thor’s broad shoulder. “ _(We can get a feeder, put it on the tree out front. Perhaps we will see some of these birds.)_ ”

       Thor grinned through a mouthful of pop tart, his cheeks bulging and voice garbled through the food. “ _(I would like that. Thank you, brother.)_ ”

       Odin came into the dining room as Loki was setting the table and Frigga set the salad down before getting drinks. “ _(Is this it?)_ ”

       “ _(There are leftovers in the fridge--)_ ” Loki tried to tell him, but Odin talked over him. Loki grit his teeth and told himself that it was just because of his hearing issues, he couldn’t hear him, Loki had a soft voice after all.

       “ _(Thor went shopping today and misinterpreted some of the labels,)_ ” Frigga explained. Odin beamed at his son.

       “ _(You went to the store for us today, Thor? I am proud of you for trying so hard, even when you knew it would be difficult.)_ ” Odin reached up to put a hand on Thor’s shoulder; Thor gently wrapped an arm around him in a soft hug, smiling. “ _(It is fine that you did not get everything, you can always go back another day and pick up what you missed.)_ ”

       Thor chuckled, letting go of Odin to pull out his father’s chair for him. “ _(Actually, I think I’ll let Loki take care of the food shopping from now on. I think the self-checkout machines have a vendetta against me.)_ ”

       Odin smiled at Loki, but it wasn’t the same big warm smile he gave Thor; the smile Loki got was always smaller, colder. “ _(Yes, of course. I’m sure Loki will get everything we need.)_ ”

       Loki agreed with him loud enough so that Odin could hear him, which felt like shouting. He said nothing more throughout the meal, eating quickly then excusing himself from the table so he could do his homework. Actually, he just didn’t want to be around Odin any more. He was very well aware that Odin loved Thor far more than him, and Loki understood why and he accepted it. But it still hurt when that extra love and pride was smashed into his face like that. Thor couldn’t even go to the stupid grocery store right but Odin acted like he had just carved a tunnel out of a mountain with nothing but a hammer! Loki flopped on his bed and yelled into his pillow, letting his rage dissipate out through his voice into his pillow and mattress.

       Loki turned over onto his back and seethed at the ceiling. He fished his phone out of his pocket with every intention of calling Lucifer and complaining to him about the injustice of it all, but he stopped himself. He held the phone in front of his face, staring at it as he debated inside his head.

       Were they even that close of friends yet, that Lucifer would tolerate Loki raving about his family issues? Loki winced and felt his face heat in embarrassment: family issues were a major sore spot for Lucifer, what was he thinking to even ponder bothering Lucifer with his much less considerable problems? It would make him seem insensitive and then Lucifer might push him away again right as they were making progress. Maybe just hearing his voice would soothe Loki’s frazzled nerves... Loki did like his voice, how it was a sort of mellow deepness with a rough edge, reminding Loki of waves that would crash into the cliffs of the coastline. Yeah, they could just talk....Loki unlocked his phone and scrolled through the contacts. He stopped and laughed at himself, covering his eyes with his arm.

       He didn’t even HAVE Lucifer’s number.

       Loki plugged in his phone to charge and got ready for bed. He would ask Lucifer for his number tomorrow, maybe... He fell asleep with the image of a laughing Lucifer in his head and a smile on his lips.

* * *

       Lucifer waved goodbye to Ianto who was locking up The Hub for the night. “See you tomorrow!”

       Ianto saluted and went to get into his car where Jack was waiting.

       Lucifer got into his own car and turned the keys in the ignition, wincing when the music started automatically, still turned up from the drive earlier. “Holy sh--” He punched at the dashboard, fiddling with buttons and dials trying to turn the volume down.

       Sheepishly, he glanced around to see if anyone had noticed his fiasco but the parking lot was more or less empty this time of night. He laughed at himself and backed out of his space, driving home in relative silence.

       The lights in the Milton house were off, save for the faint glow of the television that could be seen through the living room window. Lucifer pulled into the driveway and got out, shutting the car door as quietly as he could.

       He expected to have to sneak by Michael to get to his room but instead he found Gabriel sitting in the living room, his feet propped up on the coffee table and a plate of cake on his lap.

       “Hey,” Gabe said, nodding as Lucifer came in the front door and hung his jacket up in the closet.

       Lucifer looked around, making sure Gabriel was talking to him. Most of the time, they stayed in their separate halves of the basement and didn’t really interact with each other. Unless of course it pertained to pissing the other off for fun. In fact, most of time, Gabriel didn’t really interact with anyone so it was rare to see him out in a public area of the house. “...Hey.”

       “Have you ever seen this show?” he asked, gesturing at the television with his fork. “It’s hilarious as shit.”

       Lucifer furrowed his eyebrows, his curiosity getting the better of him as he ventured into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Gabe was watching some Japanese game show involving trivia questions that if the contestant got wrong, they were promptly socked in the crotch by some painful looking mechanism. All of it was in Japanese, so Lucifer had no idea what they were saying but he could tell right away why Gabriel found it entertaining. They cackled together as the players doubled over in agony, remembering later to stifle their laughter for the sake of the other, sleeping members of the household.

       Lucifer looked over at Gabriel, who had tears coming out of his eyes as he stuffed a bite of cake in his mouth. “Where the fuck did you get cake?”

       “The neighbors down the road were having a birthday party.”

      “And they invited you?”

       “I didn’t say that.” Gabriel grinned smugly, waggling his eyebrows as he took another bite.

       Lucifer shook his head. “You’re gonna get caught one day and then you’re not gonna think it’s that funny.” But he couldn’t help but be amused. They laughed again as the next unfortunate contestant apparently gave a wrong answer but were cut short as Michael whipped open the door to his room.

       “Would of the two of you shut the hell up? Some of us have to get up early to support our families.”

       “Don’t be such a douche, Mike. It’s barely 11,” Gabe said, brushing crumbs off his pants.

       “Yeah, which is why you should turn that shit off and go to bed.” Michael retreated into his room and slammed the door.

       Lucifer waited a moment before saying, “Someone pissed in his Cheerios this morning.”

       “It wasn’t me this time, I swear.”

       The two of them exchanged glances and tried not to crack up again.

       “As much as I hate to admit it, he’s probably right though. I gotta get up for school in the morning. See ya later,” Lucifer said, pushing himself up off the couch. He started to walk out of the room but Gabe spoke up behind him.

       “Hey, if you have any more particularly good dreams, try to keep it to yourself okay?”

       Lucifer didn’t move for a moment, grateful for the darkness so it would hide the color rising in his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the slight delay. Hope you enjoy this week's chapter!
> 
> Oh, and if you read the line “This man is trying to order A Touch of Torchwood" in the same tone of voice Tony Stark used in the Avengers to say "That man is playing Galaga," it's about 5x funnier. (It was to us at least.)
> 
> I don't know about in other grocery stores, but there are some labels that even I have issues reading, and English is my native language. I figured that if I couldn't read them, those from out of the country would have even more issues.
> 
> Ok, enough of me talking. Enjoy, and send us some love with comments and kudos! Thank you for your continued support!


	11. DAY 11: Wishful Thinking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I just realized we haven’t disclaimed this story yet. WHOOPS. Anyway, neither of us owns any of these characters, nor are we making any monetary gain from this story. All we gain are feelings of the intense variety and tear stains on our pillows.

_Wednesday, DAY 11_

       Light streamed in from the slit window of Lucifer’s room, falling directly on his face. He groaned and pulled the covers up over his eyes. One of these days, he was going to remember to move his furniture around so he wasn’t greeted by a beam of heavenly light every morning. The shrill screech of his alarm finally registered in his brain, the tone filling his ears almost painfully. On the other hand, a beam of heavenly light accompanied by a choir of angels might be a more graceful way to wake up than this.

       Grumbling to himself, he reached out, fumbling to find the off button on his alarm clock. He smacked the button and let his arm go limp, hanging off the edge of the bed. He continued lying there for a few minutes, weighing the pros and cons of actually getting up.

       Eventually, responsibility won out over lethargy and he flung his sheets off, swinging his legs out of bed. He rubbed the sand from his eyes and hauled himself up, padding out of his room and up the stairs in his t-shirt and boxer shorts. In the living room, the TV was already on and Uriel was sagged on the couch, still half asleep, watching the screen with a blank gaze. Lucifer heard cereal being poured in the kitchen and assumed it was either Raphael or Michael because like hell was Gabriel up at 6:30 on a Wednesday. Not bothering to prove if his assumption was correct, he crossed the hallway and continued up the main flight of stairs.

       Anna’s door was still closed so he knocked on his way by to make sure she was up.  Her voice was muffled through the door but Lucifer caught “I’m up” so kept going until he got to Cas’s room. The door creaked when it opened. There wasn’t much in the old house that didn’t creak anymore so everyone had learned to live with it but there was no question, the house was slowly falling into ruin.

       “Cas? Hey, man, time to wake up.” The little boy was curled into a tight little ball, cocooned in his covers with only the frizz of his hair visible. Lucifer sat down on the edge of the bed and unwrapped Castiel like a Christmas present. Cas’s eyes blinked open when his hibernation was interrupted, his eyes bleary and his face groggy from sleep. Wordlessly, he held his arms out and Lucifer picked him up, shaking his head. “You know, you’re going to get too big for this one day.”

       Cas draped himself over Lucifer’s shoulders, arms hugging his neck loosely. “No I won’t. When I go to college like Raph will you come carry me down for breakfast?” His voice was hoarse from just waking up but Lucifer could already detect a hint of Cas’s normally spirited little babble.

       Lucifer laughed. “I don’t know, buddy, I’ll have to think about it.”

       “Kay.”

       It turned out both Michael and Raphael were in the kitchen, and Lucifer automatically tensed upon walking in the room. They didn’t acknowledge him at first; they were eating their breakfast and talking with each other. Lucifer set Cas down in one of the dining chairs and Cas cradled his head on the table.

       He went to grab a bowl and some cereal to make Castiel’s breakfast but Raphael stuck his foot out and Lucifer stumbled before catching himself on the counter. His two older brothers cackled as Lucifer stood back up, cursing himself for not expecting it. _Better just ignore them, don’t want this to escalate in front of Cas,_ he thought, getting a bowl out of the cupboard and pouring some Cheerios. There was just enough milk left for one last bowl of cereal but as he was about to tip it in, Michael came up behind him and snatched it out of his hands. Before Lucifer could say anything, Michael drained the last of it, tossing the carton into the garbage.

       “That was for Cas, you dick,” Lucifer said, trying to keep his voice level.

       Michael put on a look of exaggerated shock. “Whoa, Luci-Goose. Watch the language in front of the children.” He smiled and patted Lucifer on the shoulder before setting his dishes in the sink and going back to his room to get ready for work. Raphael left soon after, apparently unable to come up with any further insults without the aid of Michael.

       With a sigh, Lucifer went over to Cas and laid his hand gently on the boy’s back. Cas looked up at him.

       “Hey, why don’t you go brush your teeth and get dressed?”

       “What about breakfast?” Castiel asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, the sleepiness rapidly leaving his body.

       “We’ll worry about it in a little bit, okay? Check on Anna when you’re up there. Tell her to get her lazy butt out of bed.”

       Cas smiled and scurried upstairs, yelling at Anna to do exactly that.

       Lucifer hurried downstairs and threw some clothes on, made sure his hair wasn’t completely awful, and then went into the basement bathroom to brush his teeth.  The downstairs bathroom was the most dilapidated room in the house. The tile was cracked and the wallpaper was missing in some places. The porcelain was faded and the whole room had an aged, yellow tinge. There was rarely a day that Lucifer went in there without having to kill some sort of insect. In fact, he and Gabe had a running tally and made it a contest. Currently Gabe was in the lead because he found a small nest of spiders in the corner behind the sink.

       It was the kind of room, Lucifer thought, that was featured in horror movies. Creepy old houses where serial killers kept bodies in the bathtub and everyone screams at the protagonist not to go down there. Cas made it a point to never go in the basement at all; whenever he needed Lucifer, or on rare occasions Gabriel, he’d stand at the top of stairs and yell until someone acknowledged him.

       That morning, Lucifer made it through his routine without being accosted by any bugs and dashed up the stairs to find Anna tying Castiel’s shoes.  She looked up at him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Cas said he didn’t eat breakfast this morning.” She finished his shoes and tapped his feet, letting him know he could stand up.

       Lucifer got his wallet out and handed Anna a few crumpled bills. “Yeah, we ran out of milk. Here, you guys pass a McDonalds on the way to school right? Why don’t you drop in and grab something to go.”

       “Can I have a hamburger?” Cas asked, his eyes immediately lighting up. “For breakfast?!”

       Anna laughed and looked to Lucifer for an answer, who shrugged. He ruffled Castiel’s hair. “I guess if that’s what you want. But don’t think this is gonna become a regular thing. It’s a special treat for one day. Don’t be asking me for hamburgers for breakfast all the time, you hear me?”

       Castiel nodded.  He stuffed his arms into his jacket and slipped his backpack on, already on his way out the door. “When we get to Dean’s house I’m gonna show him my Happy Meal and he’s gonna be really jealous but I’m not even gonna share because it’s my special treat except I might give him one fry because I don’t want him to be mad at me…” He kept talking even after the door had shut behind him and no one could hear him.

       Anna hurried to put on her own jacket and backpack, waving goodbye to Lucifer before trailing after Castiel. “See you at school, Lu,” she called.

       “Later.” Lucifer went into the living room where it seemed Uriel hadn’t moved from where he was when Lucifer first woke up. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for school?”

       “Shouldn’t you go fuck yourself?”

       “Wow. Very classy, Uriel. I’m inspired by your eloquent witticism.” Uriel flipped him off and Lucifer left the room, deciding he wasn’t in the mood to deal with it. Maybe a $5000 fine for truancy would be enough to get their father’s attention, provoke him into interacting with his kids’ lives for once. Speaking of which, it was Lucifer’s turn to bring breakfast up to Father’s room.

       He went back into the kitchen and pulled a tray down from the top of the fridge. He stuck a few slices of bread in the toaster and some sausage links in the microwave and poured a cup of coffee while he was waiting. _Breakfast of champions,_ he thought. He couldn’t really find it in himself to feel that bad about it though, the fact that he was even making breakfast for his father should be a testament to his kindness. It was, after all, probably more than he deserved. Ever since their mother died, the Milton children’s father had stopped caring. But for all his flaws, and all of theirs, they at least never stopped caring about him. It was the one thing that brought all seven of them together, even Cas doing his part when he was needed. His absence from the family’s life was frustrating at the best of times but he was still their father and they all felt the responsibility to look after him in one way or another.

       Lucifer stacked everything on the tray and carried it upstairs. He walked all the way down the hall to the master bedroom and opened the door. The curtains were drawn tight so the room was almost pitch black. The shaft of light that spilled in from the hallway illuminated a stripe of the room, including the bed where his father was still huddled in, his back to the door. His room was even sparser than Lucifer’s; everything that was reminiscent of their mother was stuffed away in the attic because their father couldn’t bear to look at it. Pretty much the only thing left was the bed and Lucifer was sure if his father didn’t need it to sleep in, it would have been stored away too.

       He set the tray of food down on the little nightstand next to the bed. “Morning, Dad,” he quietly said. “Brought you some breakfast.” There was no response. There never was.

* * *

       Loki stared at his reflection with growing horror.

       More specifically, he stared at the top of his head. At his hair. Because...because today was starting to look more and more appealing spent in bed. Under the covers. Where no one could see him.

       Loki was having a bad hair day.

       It didn’t sound that horrible, but Loki’s hair, when aggravated, tended to go into some sort of defensive maneuver where it went from wonderfully straight with just a bit of wave, to tightly knotted loops and random curls. Sections of his hair had also apparently decided to defy gravity as they were standing vertically. He had already tested his hair, and no, Thor had not put something in it to merit this sort of response. So this must just be the universe’s way of telling him he was not allowed to be happy. Loki sighed and dragged his desk chair over to the mirror that hung above his dresser. He laid out the tools he would need and set to work.

       There was a process to taming Loki’s hair on a Bad Day, one he had long ago perfected. It took him almost half an hour to battle the knots out of his locks with a comb. He took as fast of a shower as he could, keeping an eye on the clock so he would make it to the bus stop on time. While wet, he combed his hair again with a fine-toothed comb. He patted most of the water out, then let it drip dry.  Loki hurriedly threw on some clothes and put a package of Thor’s beloved pop tarts in the toaster while his hair finished drying. He brushed it again when it was mostly dry, holding one pop tart in his mouth while he coerced the strands into their proper places. Now it looked fairly normal, and he felt confident in going to school. Loki grabbed his things and headed for the bus stop.

       He took a step outside. And immediately regretted it.

       Of course today would be windy.

       His hair was a swirled mess by the time the bus arrived, pieces pointing every possible direction like a lost tourist in New York. He ignored the glances the other kids gave him--no one stared on the bus, it was some sort of unwritten rule--and sat in his seat, glad it was close to the front. He futilely pawed at the mess on his head, but knew that as soon as he got out it would be tangled again. Plus, now it was staticy from the plastic seat material. He sunk down in the bench-like seat. Today was going to suck.

        

       Lucifer got to school a few minutes earlier than usual again, stationing himself by his locker and watching the double doors where the people who rode the bus came in.

       “So we’ve progressed to locker lurking then, have we?” Lilith said, coming up to lean against the wall next to him, her phone in her hand.

       “No, this is my locker so I’m entitled to stand in front of it whenever I want.”

       “Oh, _please_ ,” she said, continuing to text.

       “If I have to lecture you about how Loki and I are just friends every time, I’m going to have to start avoiding you in the mornings.”

       “And _that,_ my friend, is why I’m decidedly unconvinced. I haven’t mentioned Loki at all but you automatically assumed I was which tells me everything I need to know.” She grinned and elbowed him.

       He sighed. He really couldn’t get anything past her. “I swear it’s just platonic, Lil. And if you do anything to fuck this up I will personally make sure that you never—”

       “Oh my god,” she said, interrupting him. She flashed her phone at Lucifer but he didn’t actually see anything. “He’s going to get murdered one day and it’s going to be all his fault.”

       “Who?” Lucifer asked, craning his neck to see who she was texting.

       “Kili, obviously. Who else do you know that could be outwit by a hole in the ground?”

       “Ah. How’s Ireland then?”

       “To be honest, I’m not sure how he got into the exchange program in the first place. Secondly, he’s about to be kicked out of Ireland because he does shit like this.” She handed Lucifer her phone where a picture message was pulled up. Kili looked to be in front of a restaurant, giving the camera a thumbs up. In the background was an incredibly short and incredibly pissed off looking man. Lucifer was confused until he read the message that Kili sent along with the picture. ‘ _Look, Lili! I met a leprechaun!’_

       Lucifer burst out laughing and some passerby gave him some weird looks. “Wait, he calls you ‘Lili?’”

       “Shut up, he thinks it’s funny because it rhymes with his name. But that’s not the point, someone is going to stab him one of these days. He’s going to get into a bar fight over something completely ridiculous and someone’s going to shank him with a broken bo--” She cut off and looked over his shoulder and slapping a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Lucifer turned around and followed her eyes to figure out what was so funny.

       Lucifer couldn’t help but stare when Loki walked through the loading doors with, well, very creative hair styling.

       Loki had a miserable expression on his face and he kept his head down as he went to his locker and turned the dial. Lucifer gave Lilith one last warning look before walking over to greet him, his mouth apparently electing to go for snarky.

       “Did you befriend some squirrels this morning?”

       “What?” Loki shot him a confused, annoyed glance, opening his locker and shoving books in with more force than needed. Lucifer leaned on the lockers next to him, Lilith texting on his other side.

       “Your hair. It looks like a family of squirrels decided it would be a good home for the winter.” Lucifer was grinning, but Loki glared, his hands coming up to covers his head protectively. Tufts of dark hair stuck up from between his fingers.

       “That,” Loki seethed, “is not funny, Lucifer.”

       Lilith scrunched her nose and looked up from her phone. “Actually, it kind of is. Although I probably would have leaned more toward dysfunctional lawnmower than squirrel family but that’s just me. I’m Lilith by the way.” She stuck out a hand for Loki to shake. “We’ve never properly been introduced.”

       Loki took her hand hesitantly. “Yes, I recognize you. You were at The Hub that one day.”

       “Yeah, I tend to show up here a lot too. But I usually fade into the background whenever you come along though.” She smiled and flicked her gaze up to Lucifer whose eyes had gone wide. Loki looked like he didn’t know what to say. “Anyway, we were talking about your hair?”

       “...Um…”  Loki brought his hands up to cover his head again.

       “Oh, come on, let me see.” Loki gave her a look and she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, it can’t be the worst bad hair day I’ve ever encountered.” Loki slowly moved his hands back to his sides and Lilith appraised his locks. “Yeah, that’s nothing. My friend Sarah once got a baby stuck in her hair. That was a mess. This is fixable.”

       She fished a brush and comb out of her purse, then stepped closer to him. “You’re going to have to kneel, you’re too tall.”

       Loki gave her a disbelieving look. “I will not kneel. This floor is disgusting.”

       “Get your head down here somehow or I’m leaving your hair like that.”

       Loki considered it, then slouched low against the lockers with his head tipped forward at a workable height for the girl. Lilith set to the task with the skill and speed of one well-versed in the art, and soon she proclaimed his hair done. Loki inspected her handiwork in the small mirror she handed him. He was impressed to find his hair looked relatively normal.

       Loki decided he actually quite liked Lilith’s company. She was quick-witted and sarcastic but he could tell that was just kind of her thing, she meant well underneath it all. A hand went to each of her shoulders and Loki gazed solemnly into her eyes. “Thank you, Lilith. You are a miracle worker and I owe you a debt.”

       Lilith laughed. “You’re going to wish you hadn’t said that, because I am going to hold you to it and I always collect on my debts.”

       Lucifer was biting his bottom lip, trying not to laugh. He got himself under control, but he still had a ridiculous smile on. “That was one of the most entertaining things I have seen all week.”

       “Well, it’s only Wednesday,” Lilith said, “I’m gonna head to class, I’ll see you guys later.” She waved and set off down the hallway, muttering “Kili, you little shit” under her breath as she continued texting furiously.

       Lucifer rubbed the back of his head. “Uh...sorry about her. She can be a little...abrasive sometimes...”

       Loki just laughed, finishing gathering all his things together and closing his locker. “It’s okay. I suppose there’s never a dull moment with her though.”

        “Yeah, I guess you could say that. Although sometimes I kinda wish for a dull moment. She has the tendency to get very involved...” Lucifer thought about how she always knew about everything before he had the chance to breathe a word of it. They started walking down the hall, and Loki looked concerned for a moment before wiping the expression off his face and replacing it with curiosity.

       “So, are the two of you...?”

       Lucifer was confused for a moment but the meaning of the question came to him in a sudden flash and for some reason he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Me and Lil? Hell no. I mean, we kind of...experimented a few years ago but it was just weird. We didn’t really work out like that but she’s been my best friend ever since.”

       Loki smiled at the story and they stopped at the fork in the hallway. “So, I’ll see you after school.”

       “Yeah, later,” Lucifer said, clapping Loki’s shoulder and hoping it was only his imagination that made it seem like his hand lingered there for longer than was necessary.

* * *

       In a strange turn of events, Lucifer made it to detention before the teacher and Loki, so he sat alone in the room for a minute or two, staring at the clock. He felt no drive to get started on his homework, even though his books were in front of him and his pencil in hand. He found himself thinking back to that brief moment before class that morning. It was barely a second but it had been haunting him all day. He wasn’t sure what made him reach out for Loki like that but he supposed that was just something friends did, right? Friends said goodbye to each other. It’s just that he couldn’t convince himself one way or the other whether or not the sociable gesture had segued into something a little...more.

       He’d run through the exchange over and over in his mind but it altered slightly every time.

       It started out the same. Lucifer puts his hand on Loki’s shoulder. They smile at each other. In the next version, he squeezes gently. His hand sits a little higher next time. Then it slides up to cup the side of Loki’s neck. Loki leans into the touch, his smile warm and wide. Lucifer’s other hand comes up to rest on Loki’s hip. They take a step closer. Lucifer’s hand curls around Loki’s hip more firmly. His nose brushes along Loki’s jaw and the other boy shudders in pleasure.

       “Lucifer...” Loki’s voice is quiet and breathless. Lucifer ghosts his lips over the Norwegian’s and Loki softly gasps.

       Their lips meet in a gentle kiss, chaste, mouths closed. It quickly gets heated though, culminating in a hot make-out session. Lucifer pushes Loki against the wall with their mouths still connected. Loki’s hands are in his hair and gripping his shirt as their bodies rub together deliciously.

       Lucifer imagined he breaks away from the kiss and rests his forehead against Loki’s. He whispers his name, “Loki.”

       “Yeah?”

       The voice that answered was not the soft dreamy voice of the figure in his head and Lucifer was snapped out of his daydreams. He jumped when he realized Loki was sitting next to him, already halfway done with a calculus assignment. Loki had stopped to look at him with an amused expression.

       “Loki! When, uh, when did you get here?!” Lucifer shuffled his homework around on his desk, trying to make it look like he had been doing anything other than imagining himself and the boy beside him kissing.

       Loki turned back to his work, his pencil making a slight squeak as the lead dragged across the paper. “About 10 minutes ago. I tried to talk to you but you just made a sort of gurgly noise so I left you alone. You looked like you were enjoying yourself anyway.” Loki glanced back up. “Wipe your cheek, you have pencil marks on your face.” Lucifer scrubbed at the wrong side of his face. He hadn’t even noticed his pencil was in his hand when he leaned into it. “No, you completely missed it. Oh here, let me.”

       He reached over the aisle space and swiped his thumb along Lucifer’s jaw, the tip of the digit brushing Lucifer’s bottom lip. Lucier felt his mouth go instantly dry and most of his blood rush to his cheeks and his penis, leaving very little for his brain. He swallowed, his eyes trapped  in Loki’s gaze. The older boy wanted to hold that hand to his face. He wanted to touch that thumb, kiss the sensitive pad, pull it into his mouth and suck on it. Lucifer wanted to do naughty, wonderful things to that thumb, and his face heated up with the thought of them.

       The contact only lasted a few seconds. Lucifer was sure he was hallucinating when he felt the tip purposely brush the point of his chin as it retracted.

       He coughed to cover up his embarrassment, wiping the back of his hand over his face to erase any more smudges and the slight amount of drool that had collected in the corner of his mouth. “Uh, thanks. Sorry about the…zoning out…”

       Loki smiled, wiping his hand on his pants, and sat back in his seat. “It’s okay. I just hope however you were picturing me was flattering.”

       Lucifer froze and his eyes went wide; he held his breath and looked straight ahead. He heard Loki snickering beside him, obviously pleased with himself. Lucifer hazarded a glance in his direction. Loki gave him a knowing, amused look.

       “That wasn’t—it’s not…I wasn’t…”

       “Right, I know, I just assumed when you said my name it had something to do with me.” Loki’s grin stretched across his face, his teeth incredibly white.

       Lucifer held his gaze, knowing that if he looked away it would only make him appear more guilty. “Well, I didn’t actually say Loki…”

       “Is that so?”

       “Yeah, I said….low-key, like mellow…I was uh, meditating…”

       “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize.” Loki turned back to his homework but he was still smiling. Lucifer resisted the urge to sink into his hoodie like a turtle and just stay there for the rest of his life, or at least until the embarrassment subsided. Which probably wouldn’t be much sooner.

       Coach Rogers spoke up from his desk where he was sketching idly on a scratch piece of paper. “Look, I’m glad you boys are getting along, but I’m technically supposed to keep you quiet so I’m gonna have to ask you to cut the chit chat.”

       “Sorry, sir,” Loki answered, shooting Lucifer one more side-long glance before burying himself in his work. Lucifer twirled his pencil in his hand, once again unable to focus on the words in front of him. Thankfully, however, he managed to get through the rest of detention without slipping into another blissful coma.

       When Coach Rogers dismissed them, he and Loki gathered up their things and walked out to the back together.

       “So, am I still invited to The Hub or was that…?”

       “Yeah, sure, if you want. I’m glad for the company actually; I can only be around Owen for so long before I want to bash my head in. Or his.” Lucifer dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked his car.

       Loki propped his elbows on the roof, fixing Lucifer with another mischievous stare. “As I recall, you seem to be pretty good at entertaining yourself.”

       Lucifer’s mouth twitched and he bit back a flurry of curse words. “I told you. I was meditating.”

       “Oh, that’s right. I remember now.” Loki disappeared from view as he got into the car and Lucifer dropped his forehead onto the car roof, letting the curses flow.

       Regaining his composure, he slipped into the driver’s seat and turned the car on. Loki didn’t make any more cheeky comments on the drive over, which Lucifer was glad for. He didn’t think he could handle any more of that without dissolving into a puddle of shame.

       At The Hub, the line of customers was steady so Lucifer didn’t get much of a chance to talk with Loki, although he did take his order and serve him his chocolate chip cookie and a cup of Myfanwy’s Dark Chocolate Latte. He spared the theatrics today, knowing that if anything of yesterday’s caliber happened again on top of what happened in detention earlier, he would most definitely cease being able to function.

       Business proceeded as usual until a slight, blonde man walked through the front door carrying a laptop case and looking around sheepishly.

       “Billy!”

       Jack’s voice carried across the restaurant and Lucifer looked up from his register. He saw the man wave at Jack and go to settle himself at a nearby table. Jack got up from his seat and caught him in hug which Billy returned awkwardly but with a smile.

       “We’ve missed you, buddy! The wifi’s been acting up lately and we didn’t have our resident techie around.”

       Billy scoffed. “Well, glad I’m useful for something.”

       Jack laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, Billy stumbling a little under the force of it. “Nah, I’m kidding, we really did miss you. But actually I’m not kidding about the wifi, do you think you cou—”

       “Welcome back, Billy,” Ianto called from behind the counter, interrupting Jack. “How was the conference?”

       Billy sighed and plopped down in his chair as Jack returned to his. “Ugh, it was so tedious. And the hotel they had us staying in was horrible. I got stuck rooming with this guy who couldn’t stop sweating. I felt like I needed a shower every time I talked him.”

       “Doesn’t your brother live in Seattle? Why didn’t you stay with him?” Jack asked, sipping his coffee.

       Billy gave him a scathing look, “Are you kidding? Spend that much time with my arch nemesis?? Hell no! We would kill each other within the first day!”

       “Oh come on, Billy,” Lucifer interjected while fixing an espresso. “He can’t be that bad.”

       “He’s a menace is what he is.” Billy got up from his table and went behind the bar to where a small white block of technology that controlled the invisible internet of the Hub sat on a shelf. He took it down and inspected the wifi modem, messing with the multitude of wires coming off it as he talked. “He’s mister goody-two-shoes and ‘everyone is a hero in their own way, Billy, you just haven’t found your way yet’ and I want to either shoot him in the face or stab myself in the leg with a spork.” The little green light on the front of the modem blinked steadily and he put it back on the shelf. “There. Shouldn’t give you any more trouble. If you do,” Billy shook his finger at the modem, “we shall have WORDS.”

       Loki raised an eyebrow from where he was sitting, but didn’t say anything about the blonde threatening the modem, as it seemed to be working. Besides, it appeared the technology was part of the staff; Loki had seen “CHAD” sharpied on the side when Billy had brought it down. At least he now knew who Jack yelled at when he would randomly shout, “Chad, quit being a drama queen and load the damn page!”

       Billy and the rest of The Hub gang fell into easy conversation and Loki was left feeling out of the loop. When Lucifer took a break from the register and made his rounds cleaning tables, Loki asked about the newcomer. Lucifer looked confused but then remembered Loki hadn’t started coming here until a week ago.

       “Oh, that’s Billy. He’s kind of our resident tech doctor. He just hangs around here all the time so he’s basically part of the family.” Lucifer smiled as he swabbed Loki’s table. “He says it’s because he’s got nothing else to do but we all know it’s because he’s got a huge crush on this girl that comes here sometimes.”

       “Where has he been since I’ve come here?”

       “He was at some conference thing in Seattle. Something to do with computers and shit. Go talk to him about it, he’s a nice guy, you’ll like him.”

       “Um, alright...I guess,” Loki said, looking back and forth from Lucifer to Billy before picking up his stuff and migrating tables. Billy looked up as Loki approached, the two introduced themselves, and Billy offered Loki a chair.

       Nothing else terribly exciting happened after that and Loki saw his brother’s truck pull up in front of the Hub. He waited until Lucifer didn’t have any more customers, then waved goodbye to him. Lucifer waved back and Loki slipped out the glass doors. Lucifer watched him climb into the truck and it drove away.

* * *

       It was getting close to two in the morning and Lucifer couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t a surprise that thoughts of Loki were plaguing him again but the...incident earlier wouldn’t leave him alone. He stared up at the ceiling and listened to the pipes creaking in the wall.

       Another war raged inside his head, the constant battle between one side convincing himself that yeah, he liked Loki, get over it and the other always trying to persuade him that, no, there’s too many things working against him, there’s no way in hell this could ever work. He rolled over on his side, pulling the sheets up to his chin. Of course, nothing in his life was ever easy. He was fooling himself if he thought this was just going to be a one-and-done decision. No, his mind was going to drag this out as long as possible until he went insane.

       Finally, he pulled out his phone and punched in Lilith’s number, forgetting for a moment it was the middle of the night and then realizing he didn’t care. He’d listened to enough of her attitude and sass to warrant one late night call. When she picked up, her voice was slightly hoarse and heavy with sleep.

       “What?”

       “Did I wake you up?” There was a long pause on the other end of the line and Lucifer could practically feel the sarcasm building.

       “No shit, Sherlock.”

       “Sorry, I just..I can’t sleep and--”

       “And I’m the only one that puts up with you. Well, go on. Tell me.”

       “Okay, well... Actually, I don’t really--”

       “I swear to god if you woke me up at two in the morning to chicken out and not tell me anything there will be hell to pay.”

       Lucifer buried his face in a pillow for a second, trying to collect himself. This was a bad idea; he could feel it. “It’s about Loki--”

       “Yeah, I assumed, let’s get to the good stuff.”

       “Will you let me finish one goddamn sentence? Seriously, it’s no wonder I never tell you anything, you never let me.”

       “That and you usually don’t have to say anything for me to figure it out anyway.”

       Lucifer rubbed a hand over his face and huffed an aggravated sigh. “Can I talk now?”

       “Yes.”

       “So, after you left this morning, we talked for a minute and then we were saying goodbye and I just kinda...patted him on the shoulder.”

     “How scandalous.”

       “Lilith.”

       “Sorry.”

       “Anyway, after school I got to detention early and I sat there and my mind started to wander.” Lucifer paused but Lilith didn’t interrupt. “If you even think about telling anyone what I’m about to say, just remember that I know where you live and no one will ever find the body."

       “Alright, alright, I get it, my lips are sealed.”

       “Like I was saying, I let my mind wander and it kind of took that shoulder pat and...elaborated on it...” He could hear her start to giggle and then stifle it.

       “Are you saying you basically...”

      “Yes.”

       “Don’t tell me he walked in on you! And by that I mean please tell me, I’m dying over here.”

       Lucifer pulled his blanket over his face as if that would keep the humiliation from escaping. “I said his name out loud and he heard me.”

       Lilith didn’t even bother keeping her laughter covered this time. Lucifer held the phone away from his ear as she laughed, pulling the blanket tighter and wishing he could disappear. Just sink down into the mattress and stay there.

       She got a hold of herself enough to ask: “What did he say?”

       “He just said he hoped I was picturing him in a flattering sense.”

       Lilith cackled again. “I think I could get along with this kid. How did you respond to that?”

       “I denied it, obviously.”

       “And did he buy it?”

       Lucifer scoffed. “Of course he didn’t fucking buy it. He’s not an idiot.”

       “Alright, so you were embarrassed, big deal. What’s keeping you up to the wee hours of the morning?”

       He pulled the sheets down and sighed. “He…laughed at me, Lil. You’ve been saying all this time that everyone’s been pushing me toward him. But what about from his side?  He laughed at me like I was some kid with their first crush. I mean, have we even considered the fact that he might not…bat for my team?”

       Lilith was quiet again. When she spoke, her voice was softer. “Oh, Luci. You must honestly be the most oblivious person on the planet. If you stopped beating yourself up for ten seconds and bothered to really look at the world, I think you’d be surprised at what you were missing. I’ve met this guy, what, like twice? And I can already tell he likes you. He’s trying so hard to be your friend and he knows you’re a little hesitant. If you’re not comfortable with yourself enough to let it go farther than friendship, then fine. He’s willing to give you time to work it out. So, stop being such a wuss. You need to man up and stop getting hung up on all these stupid doubts. Got it?”

       Lucifer closed his eyes and felt some of the tension release from his shoulders. _What a surprise,_ he thought, _she’s right again._ “Yeah, thanks, Lil.”

       “Good. Now I’m going back to sleep and I would recommend the same to you.” She hung up without a goodbye but Lucifer smiled and tossed the phone onto the nightstand. He flopped on his back and smoothed the covers down, taking a deep breath and letting sleep overtake him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter has first appearances of quite a few characters. Also, all of the Milton family is, at the very least, mentioned! Whoo! It is really a crowded chapter!  
> Thank you for your support, I love reading your comments! Please, let us know what you liked, didn't like, if we messed up anywhere, feedback is wonderful!
> 
> PS. The Captain thought of a more appropriate reference to make in the Kili part, so that is what has been updated. Carry on.


	12. DAY 12: Prelude to a Fall (Festival)

_Thursday, DAY 12_

       Once again, Lucifer was leaning against his locker when Loki entered the school. Lilith was complaining about some idiots in her class and Lucifer was agreeing with her, but his eyes were on the doors. He smiled shyly when he caught sight of Loki, who smiled back and went to his locker. He quickly shoved books from his bag into the locker and vice versa, shutting it and twirling the dial before walking over to where Lilith and Lucifer stood.

       “Good morning, Lucifer. Lilith.” Lucifer mumbled a greeting back, his gaze glancing from Loki to anything but the Norwegian, as if suddenly embarrassed to be caught staring. Loki figured it had something to do with whatever daydreams Lucifer had been having the day before and didn’t press him on the subject.

       “G’mornin,” Lilith replied. Her phone dinged as a new message came in. Loki turned to Lucifer.

       “That reminds me, I meant to get your phone number yesterday but I forgot what with my hair and everything.”

       Lucifer was a little surprised, but already fishing his phone out of his pocket to exchange numbers, opening his own contact information. “Yeah sure, but um, why do you need it?”

       Loki smiled at him, his fingers tapping the buttons on his cell to open a new contact. “Can’t friends text each other? You do have texting right?”

       “Uh, yeah, I do.” Lucifer relinquished his phone when Loki plucked it from his hand, cradling it in one pale hand while his thumb flew over the keys on his own phone, entering in the information. Loki tucked his phone in his pocket while he fiddled with Lucifer’s, finally figuring out how to add a contact and typed in his information. He placed the phone back in Lucifer’s hand, which was in the same position as when he had taken the phone out.

       “I’ll try not to be a bother, but you’re the only one I can really talk to about school stuff.” Loki smiled apologetically; Lucifer grinned back.

       “Don’t worry about it, you wouldn’t be a bother. The only one who ever really texts me is Lilith or one of the gang from The Hub if I’m late. It’ll be nice to have a conversation where I’m not constantly insulted.” He sent a light glare to Lilith, who just raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow without looking away from her screen.

       “Why is there no school tomorrow?” Loki asked after a few seconds of almost comfortable silence. “Some of the teachers mentioned it yesterday.”

       “Wow, that’s right, I forget you’re new here. The town holds a huge fall festival the day before Halloween. Almost every business is closed that day. It’s pretty cool,” Lucifer shifted his backpack on his shoulder, looking around. “You, uh, think you’re gonna come? There’s not much else to do. There are some pretty fun games and rides, it’s not all kid stuff. Though, I will have Cas and Dean with me, so we’d be forced to go to a lot of the kid stuff anyway but I mean that can be fun too and-” Lilith unceremoniously elbowed his ribs as he started rambling. Loki smiled.

       “Yeah, I’ve never celebrated Halloween, I’m really excited for it this year. Only a few adults in Norway like it, to them it’s another piece of trashy American culture that has bled through the tv-” The tips of Loki’s ears turned red and he held up his hands. “Not that _I_ think American culture is trashy, that’s just what some of...yeah...anyway, I think it’s a cool holiday. I get to scare kids without getting into trouble.” He laughed. “And a festival sounds fun. What time does it start? For that matter, where is it?”

       Lucifer waved his phone at Loki. “I’ll text you the details later.”

       Loki smiled and Lilith rolled her eyes, taking hold of Lucifer’s shirt and starting to drag him down the hall. “Alright, boys, I hate to interrupt but it’s time for class now.”

       They said goodbye to each other and Loki turned away to go to class, leaving Lucifer and Lilith to walk together. She finally put her phone away and linked her arm in Lucifer’s.

       “Hey, you know I’m happy for you, right? But if you and Loki make goo goo eyes at each other all day tomorrow I am pushing you off the back of the hayride.”

       Lucifer shook his head and laughed. “Duly noted.”

       The entire student population was abuzz with Festival and Halloween plans, a fresh energy normally lacking in the school causing an excited air of anticipation. The school day seemed to pass by in a blur for everyone, and it felt like little time at all had passed between their morning conversation and now, when Lucifer and Loki were talking about the festival while Lucifer took his break at the Hub. Loki had found a flyer at some point, so they were discussing details. Thor pulled up and Loki reluctantly left; their conversation resumed via text messages and Loki was glad he was on an unlimited messaging program, as the teens easily sent a few hundred texts that night alone.

       There was much to do to prepare for Halloween, Loki discovered, and it seemed like far more work because he was the only one in his family celebrating. He found a store that rented out decorations and he bought just a few pieces, not needing anything elaborate. A list of supplies was drafted for him to collect the next day, including a costume, and he placed it under his wallet so he wouldn’t forget it.

       Loki laid out his outfit for the next day and went to sleep, eager to wake up and set his plans in motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the super short chapter, the next two will be much longer!  
> Bonus content for Norway in Hell will be posted on our Tumblr page later this week, so keep an eye out there for it!   
> Thank you everyone for your support. Please, tell us what you like, don't like, keysmash, whatever in a comment, we love hearing from you!
> 
> As always, we do not own any of these characters and no infringment is intended.


	13. Friday: Winternight

_Friday, Day of the Fall Festival_

       Loki woke up early and hit the town with Thor, who was happy to spend time with his brother on his off-day. He liked seeing Loki so excited about something, even if he did not share his enthusiasm. Loki bought a few bagfuls of stuff and a large box containing his rented costume. They were home in time for lunch and for Loki to change into what he was wearing to the festival. The main festivities didn’t start until one p.m., but Loki was meeting Lucifer and company at the fairgrounds at 12:30.

       Thor dropped him off at the gate before driving off to find a place to park. Loki heard Castiel’s excited voice before he saw them coming up the sidewalk. The little boy was pulling Lucifer along, his other hand firmly holding that of another young boy. This child had a beaming smile and happy hazel-green eyes. There was also an attitude of responsibility about him; he was helping to reign Cas in while also holding the hand of an even younger boy. Both Dean, for that must be Castiel’s best friend, and the youngest child looked like they could be related. Loki vaguely remembered Anna saying something about babysitting, so they were probably the Winchester brothers. Completing their little train was Anna herself, helping to corral the gaggle of children.

       Dean’s smile faded into a suspicious but neutral expression as they neared Loki, sizing him up as if assessing his threat level. Loki raised an eyebrow. The little boy made sure he was partially in front of his younger brother when they stopped. Castiel bounced happily, babbling. Lucifer chuckled and smiled at Loki.

       “Hey, Loki. Lilith said she’d meet us inside later. This is Dean and Sam Winchester.” He gestured to the boys nearest Anna. “They’ll also be hanging out with us today. And you’ve already met Cas and Anna.”

       Loki crouched in front of Dean, who still was mistrustful of the tall teenager. “Hello, Dean, Sam. My name is Loki.” He held out a hand to shake, waiting while Dean deliberated on whether he was going to accept the gesture. He finally let go of Castiel’s hand to awkwardly shake Loki’s hand, jerking it up and down a few times before dropping his grip.  
Castiel disengaged from Lucifer to wrap his arms around Loki’s leg after he stood up again, demanding he show Dean the magic trick. Loki laughed and promised he would later. He took Lucifer’s place in the living child corral while Lucifer paid for some tickets to play games with.

       Loki took in the unique atmosphere while Lucifer dished out tickets and explained the rules of the festival--stay with one of them, don’t go off on your own, etc--to Castiel and the brothers. A gentle wind blew over the fairgrounds, carrying the scent of sweet popcorn and fried food, of cinnamon and hot caramel. Children screamed in laughter somewhere and there appeared to be a field of stacked hay bales and corn that small groups were disappearing into. A touch on his arm started Loki from his observations. Lucifer had a hand lightly resting on Loki’s upper arm; he retracted it once he had the other teen’s attention.  
“Come on, we’re going this way. Dean and Cas want to play some games first.

       Loki followed them through the crowds, gazing at all the people there. It truly seemed like the whole town had shown up. He even saw Ms. Pond and Mr. Williams playing a game where they had to knock down wooden cutouts of alien robots. The English teacher was faring far better than her fiance was, but they were both laughing and seemed to be having a good time.

       He recognized people from school here and there, spotting Bela and a couple of her friends charming their way into getting free food from the guys working the stand. The lines of booths and games and attractions stretched and wound for what seemed like forever and the gang worked their way through, stopping to try this and that. Lilith found them eventually and they took a break from games to sit down and grab a snack.

       Lucifer bought corndogs for Castiel and Dean and a funnel cake for him and Anna to share. Anna pulled some food out of her bag to feed Sam. Lilith got some sort of fried concoction and Loki bought a slice of honeycomb. They sat down at a picnic table to eat and Lilith sighed, propping her feet up on the opposite bench between Lucifer and Anna.  
“God, my feet are killing me.”

       “Lil, we haven’t been walking _that_ long. Sam’s holding out longer than you,” Lucifer said, tapping off some excess powdered sugar from a bite of cake before putting it in his mouth.

       “Well, Sam was smart enough not to wear wedges, weren’t you, little guy?” she cooed at the two year old, who gurgled at the attention and spit some of the yogurt he was eating. Cas and Dean laughed while Loki offered a napkin to Anna.

       “Looks like the gang’s all here.” The table turned toward the voice and they all smiled as they saw Jack and Ianto approaching, mugs of cider in hand.

       “Hey, I almost didn’t recognize you without a suit, Ianto,” Lucifer joked.

       Ianto glanced down at his jeans, t-shirt, and zip up hoodie, looking a little self-conscious. “It is the holidays. Figured I’d let loose a bit.”

       “Yeah, but he looks good in a suit,” Jack said, winking.

       “Careful, Jack, there are children present,” Lilith warned with a grin.

       “Would you like to join us?” Lucifer asked, preparing to make room at the table but Jack waved him off.

       “Nah, wouldn’t want to intrude. You kids have fun, just don’t get lost in the corn.” He and Ianto waved, continuing on down the aisle of booths and disappearing in the crowd.

       Castiel whipped his head around to Lucifer, his eyes wide. “Lu’, what happens in the corn?”

       Lilith leaned forward over the table, her tone grave. “Kids who wander off in the cornfield disappear and are never heard from again. Some people say they get abducted by aliens.”

         
Castiel’s eyes stretched even wider and he turned to Lucifer, on the brink of tears. “I don’t wanna go in the corn, Lu’!”

       “No, no, we’re not going to. And that’s not true, buddy, she was just kidding.” Lucifer stumbled over his words, trying to reassure Castiel while looking appalled at Lilith. “What the hell, Lilith?”

       She shrugged. “Sorry, I thought it would funny.”

       Dean threw his arm around Castiel who still appeared a little shaken. “Don’t worry, Cas. We’ll stick together. No one gets left behind.” The boys smiled at each other and Cas wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

       “We’re not going in the corn anyway,” Anna added, feeding Sam another spoonful of yogurt. “We decided to go on the hayride, remember?”

       “Speaking of which,” Loki began, “I think I may end up sticking to the wagon.” He lifted his fingers which were coated in honey and laughed helplessly. “Nobody warned me about this.”

       Lucifer glanced up from chasing powdered sugar around his plate with a chunk of the fried dough--and promptly dropped it. His eyes were wide and though he tried not to make it look like he was staring too much, he couldn’t keep his eyes away. The golden honey was not only on his fingers, but smeared all around his mouth as well, the color easy to see against his pale skin. There were drips of it running down his chin, which he swiped at with his messy fingers to keep from getting on his clothes. Lucifer’s adam’s apple bobbed with the force of his swallow, shifting on the bench as his pants got very tight very quickly. He managed to tear his eyes away from Loki, who was laughing as his attempts to wipe off the honey only resulted in it getting smeared further up his cheek. Closing his eyes, Lucifer focused on controlling his breathing and thinking non-sexy thoughts.

       His eyes snapped open when his ears caught a sucking noise, as well as the sound of delight. They flickered back to the Norwegian; Lucifer groaned softly, deep in his throat. Loki was sucking on his fingers, the pale digits moving in and out of his mouth slightly as he used his tongue and teeth to clean as much of the sticky substance off as he could. He was totally focused on this task, his eyelids almost closed, brows furrowed, his cheeks hollowed slightly as he sucked on his fingers.

       A quick glance around the table showed the impact of Loki’s actions. Lilith was by no means immune, her pupils blown fractionally and her nostrils flared with her breath, fingers stilled for once on her phone. Anna was ignoring all of them, trying to clean the yogurt out of Sam’s hair, murmuring quietly to the toddler. Sam was grumpy because he was out of yogurt and there was stuff in his hair. Dean was reassuring Cas that he would never abandon him and that he would fight any monsters that came out of the corn for Cas. A glance back at Loki was nearly his undoing, as the teen’s tongue was flicking out of his mouth, trying to lap up the honey from his cheeks and chin, licking his fingers as he wiped the sweet goo off of areas his tongue couldn’t reach.

       Lucifer suddenly stood up and grabbed his paper plate, the powdered sugar scattering from the sudden movement; he didn’t care. He grabbed Castiel’s plate too. He was aware he was babbling a bit, “Here, Cas, I’ll throw that away for you be back in a bit okay, yeah-”

       Cas looked up at him with sad eyes. “But...Luci, I wasn’t done-”

       “It’s a CORNdog, Cas.” The sudden horrified look on Castiel’s face almost made Lucifer feel guilty, but the boy hurriedly pushed the half-eaten food away. Lucifer grabbed it and turned around as quickly as his body allowed, so there would be less of a chance of Lilith or Loki catching him in profile and seeing all the proof they needed of his obvious attraction. Lucifer threw the food into one of the huge metal barrels that were scattered around the fairground, the plastic bag inside already half full. Flies buzzed around it and Lucifer clutched the side, breathing in the horrific stench of warm, fetid fair food. He stayed there for a few moments, breathing in the nasty scent and thinking about maggots, until he felt like he was going to barf and his erection was completely gone.

       He walked back to the picnic table. Lilith was texting again, her thumbs darting over her electronic keyboard with a faint tapping sound, and Loki was using some wet wipes Anna found in her purse to get off most of the honey. Lucifer was both relieved and disappointed. Seeing that honey all over Loki’s face had made him want to lean over the table and lick it off his lips--Lucifer shook his head, steering his thoughts away from those dangerous grounds.

       “You guys about done?” he asked instead, snagging a napkin to wipe off grease from Dean’s face. The little boy scowled and pushed him away, rubbing his lower face on his arm. The grease just smeared. Cas sighed.

       “Dean, you gotta keep clean or bugs will think you’re a tasty snack.” Lucifer smiled, recognizing the threat Anna had used on Cas many times. “Hold still.” Cas took the napkin from Lucifer and very carefully wiped at Dean’s face.

       Dean scrunched his face up but let Castiel finish, springing off the bench as soon as he was done. “Can we play more games now?”

       Lucifer dug in his pocket and pulled out their last few tickets and split them between Dean and Castiel. “Here, just wait a minute, though. We’re all going together.”

       The two boys danced in place, eager to move on, while the older kids cleaned up the table and gathered all their things. When they were all ready and Lucifer gave them the go-ahead, Dean and Cas raced off. Sam squirmed out of Anna’s arms and toddled off after them as fast as his little legs would carry him, calling out Dean’s name. Anna stayed by his side, smiling apologetically as he pointed at the two older boys he couldn’t keep up with.

       Lilith, Lucifer, and Loki walked at a leisurely pace behind them, still keeping them in sight but not in a hurry to catch up.

       “So, you mentioned you’re going to celebrate Halloween?” Lucifer asked Loki.

       “Yeah, I’m actually very excited to try it. The rest of my family isn’t really interested. Halloween’s not a holiday we’ve really embraced in Norway so I’m interested to see what happens.” Loki put his hands in his jacket pockets. “You?”

       “Yeah, we’ll probably end up taking Cas and the Winchesters trick-or-treating. But most of my family doesn’t really care either. Our house is kind of secluded so we don’t get many visitors anyway.”

       “Not that Gabe would leave any candy for the kids,” Lilith added. “And Michael would end up traumatizing half of them.”

       Lucifer laughed and agreed with her. Castiel and Dean came barrelling back toward them and tugged on Lucifer’s coat.

       “Can we play that game, Lu’? Please?” Castiel asked, pointing at a what looked like a Ghostbusters themed booth.

       “Sure, if you’ve got the tickets for it.”

       “Yes!” Cas and Dean ran up to the counter and slapped their tickets down. The attendant explained the game to them and then handed them the their little airsoft guns and safety goggles.

       Anna picked up Sam again so he could see and the others watched the targets rotate around. Castiel did as well as they’d expect a six year old to do but Dean blazed through the targets and managed to hit the majority of them.

       “Wow, kid. Nice job,” the attendant said, retrieving the guns. He handed Cas a piece of candy for participating but Dean got to pick from some goldfish. He returned to group toting his prize and held it up for everyone to see. Everyone bent down to look at the little fish, swimming in tiny circles around the container.

       “How cute!” Anna said. “What’re you gonna name him?”

       Dean shrugged and stared at his new pet, squinting while he tried to come up with a name.

       “Well let’s think and walk at the same time. We still gotta catch the hayride,” Lucifer said, shuffling everyone along. Dean took off again but Cas stayed behind for a moment.

       “Can we get a fish, Lu’?” he asked, looking up at his brother, eyes bright.

       “What do we need a fish for?”

       “I want my fish and Dean’s fish to be friends like me and Dean.”

       Lucifer laughed and ruffled Cas’s hair. “We’ll think about it, okay?”

       “Okay.” He smiled.

       Anna shifted Sam to her other hip and checked her watch. “We need to get going if we’re gonna do the hayride and get Sam and Dean home in time.”

       Up ahead, Dean had dropped his fish as Cas ran to catch up, too distracted by the stands to notice.

       Lucifer saw and yelled, “Don’t step on that fish, Castiel!”

       Cas skidded to a stop at the call and looked around, noticing the predicament. He bent down and scooped up the container--which had miraculously stayed closed, almost cradling the poor creature for a moment before handing it back to Dean.

       “Thanks,” he said, holding it more carefully. The rest of the party joined them and Lucifer offered to hold onto the fish for him.

       They continued on through the fair until they finally reached the line for the hayride. Lucifer’s back was turned to him as he talked to Anna, so Loki took the opportunity to appreciate the view. He could not deny that he found Lucifer incredibly attractive, or that he felt a certain draw to him, as both were true statements. Loki would have made a move by now, well, a more obvious one, but Lucifer usually ran away or quickly changed the subject if things got too personal or if there was even a suggestion of a semi-romantic moment. Loki had been fully aware of what he was doing earlier with the honey, that’s why he had bought it, besides just liking the taste.

       A wagon came into the loading area and the passengers got off. The line moved up. Lucifer let a couple go ahead of their group so that they could all stay together, as there wasn’t enough room in the current wagon. They waited, Lucifer watching birds flit through the trees, only shadows against a darkening sky. Loki risked standing next to him, resisting the temptation to touch. Flirting with Lucifer was like courting fire: he had to stay a safe distance away, had to do nothing to enrage the flames so that what life he had built there would not be laid to ruin.

       Lilith was watching them over her phone. She had an expression on her face like she knew exactly what Loki was thinking. He gave her a small smile, which she returned. Sammy whined, shifting in Anna’s arms unhappily as the next wagonload of people approached.

       “Looks like it our turn, now, Sammy, don’t cry,” Dean said, reaching up toward his brother. Sammy sniffed but perked up as they walked up the steps to board the wagon. He settled in Anna’s lap and beat on the handrails, chanting “Wide, wide” over and over until the wagon started moving. Loki sat across from Lucifer so he could watch him more easily, and so he wouldn’t do anything brash in close quarters.

       Dean and Cas excitedly stood against the wooden railing, watching the apple orchards turn into the wilder woods around the simple dirt road. At night, this would be a scary ride, but this was just a fun, family friendly version during the day. Sam gazed around himself from the safety of Anna’s lap, his feet idly kicking the air in front of him as he babbled random words to her.

       Loki ignored the scenery. The setting sun and uneven lighting made Lucifer’s scars more prominent, small pools of darkness on his cheeks and forehead, his nose and temples. The scarring was uneven, and the shadows shifted on his face. Not many could pull off darkness like Lucifer could; on him, the shadows looked enticing.They made his features sharper, rather than diluting them. Lucifer looked at Loki and the paler boy didn’t even try to make it look like he hadn’t been staring. The older teen stared back before looking away with a slightly baffled yet secretly pleased look on his face.

       It was moments like those that gave Loki hope they could be even more than friends. Those little moments where some of Lucifer’s shields came down and Loki saw glimpses of a different Lucifer, one who enjoyed the praise and adoration he normally brushed off, who seemed pleased by Loki’s attention. Loki had caught Lucifer staring a few times, and there was that whole daydream incident. If Lucifer wasn’t confident enough in his sexuality yet to pursue what he felt, though, then Loki could wait and do his best to help him along. True, his time was not unlimited, but he was not going to think about that. Right now, all he wanted was to think about was—

       “Look, a deer!!” Castiel scrambled over Loki’s lap, interrupting his train of thought. Everyone in the wagon turned to look. Indeed, a doe was standing by the side of the dirt road, calmly grazing on the plants there. Loki wrapped an arm around Castiel's waist to keep him from leaning over too far. He rolled his eyes with fond exasperation at Lucifer as the young boy shouted excitedly at the animal.

       “Shhh, Castiel, you’ll scare her away,” Loki said when the boy took a breath. Castiel quieted, but he was practically vibrating with excitement as the wagon slowly rolled past the deer. Nothing else nearly as exciting as the deer happened for the rest of the hayride. Loki liked the slow, peaceful ride, even though some brats farther in the wagon were complaining how bored they were. He was glad Dean, Sam, and Castiel were as well behaved as they were, so he could enjoy this moment surrounded by nature. He missed the mountains of Norway, the mandatory excursions out into fields and to rivers as part of class, missed sitting on the lip of a cliff as it lightly rained around him and made everything seem greener and more alive. Loki shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to now.

       The ride only lasted half an hour, but the sun was almost completely behind the horizon when they were helped out of the wagon. Sammy waddled between Anna and Lilith as they all made their way to the exit. It was a long walk, though, and the littlest boy started lagging. He eventually just stopped walking and held up his arms, his tiny hands opening and closing rapidly in a grabby motion, as he let out a long whine. Lucifer would have picked him up, but he was already carrying Cas and holding Dean’s hand, so he didn’t really have an arm to spare. Anna was carrying their prizes and bags of food they wanted to take with them, and Lilith had hers and Anna’s bags, as well as Dean’s fish. They started shifting the things in their arms as Sam’s whines got louder.

       Without breaking his stride or interrupting his conversation with Lucifer, Loki swooped down and plucked Sam off the ground, hoisting him up in his arms like he had been doing this for most of his life. Lucifer couldn’t help but gawk as Loki arranged Sam so the child would be the most comfortable against his shoulder. Sam curled up in his arms and was almost instantly asleep. Lucifer had not been aware it was possible to look that attractive with a child drooling on your shirt.

       They were almost at the exit when Loki heard a somewhat familiar voice cry out an incredulous, “SADKID!?” from a booth to their right. Loki’s head whipped around, looking for the source of the sound.

       “What is it?” Lucifer turned, as Loki had stopped walking.

       “There is only one person I know that would call out ‘sadkid’ like that,” he explained before calling out, “Darcy?”

       “OVER HERE!!”

       Loki looked around and spotted her behind the counter of a booth that sold homemade stuffed animals, along with a woman with light brown hair that was....flirting with Thor? He walked over to the booth, Lucifer and the girls trailing curiously behind him. Darcy grinned at them. She looked Lucifer over, then quirked her eyebrows at Loki as if asking, ‘Is this him? Is this the guy you were talking about?’ Loki gave her a small smile and a tiny nod, and her smile got wider. Thor’s voice interrupted their silent communication.

       “Ah, brother! How are you enjoying the festivities?” Thor walked around the corner of the booth to stand next to Loki.

       Both Lucifer and the woman Thor had been flirting with exclaimed, “ _HE’S_ your brother?!” at the same time. The siblings laughed.

       “We get that a lot,” Thor grinned, then noticed the child in Loki’s arms. He laid a gentle hand on the mop of messy brown hair. “Whose child is this, Loki?”

       Loki shifted Sam a little higher and answered casually, “Mine. I won him in the ring toss game.”

       “Ah, well, welcome to the family, little nephew!” Thor’s reply held all the majesty and dignity as if he were greeting a king, his expression entirely serious.  
Darcy cracked up, supporting herself on the counter as she snorted with laughter. The other woman chuckled, unsure if Thor was being serious. Loki’s friends were also giving his brother an odd look, like “is he really that dense?” and “well, the most attractive people aren’t always the brightest.” Loki knew he was joking though, and returned the little smile and wink his brother gave him.

       Thor straightened back up and smiled at the other teens who were standing by Loki. “Who are your friends, brother?”

       “This is Sam,” he said, nodding at the boy in his arms. “Not sure who those weirdos are.” They laughed, then Loki freed a hand to gesture to Lucifer. “This is Lucifer. Lucifer, my brother Thor.” He pointed to the girls, “That’s Lilith and Anna,” then to the boys Lucifer was holding onto, “and these are Dean and Castiel. Dean is Sammy’s brother.” Thor beamed at each of them.

       “It is an honor to meet you all. These are the ladies Jane and Darcy, whom I have become acquainted with today.”

       “Ah, I was wondering where you had wandered off to,” Loki said with a little grin, “I already know Darcy, but it is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jane.”

       “Yeah, same,” she replied, giving him a shy, confused smile, “But how do you know Darcy?”

       “He’s the mopey kid in the library I was telling you about. The one that did a perfect voice for Babar.” Darcy grinned at Loki. “We should totally do that again sometime.”  
“Agreed, though this time I won’t skip school to do so.” Thor pretended he didn’t hear Loki say he skipped school. Movement in the corner of his eye made Loki look down to where Dean was now standing beside him.

       Dean smacked the top of the counter where he could reach it, a few dollar bills clenched in his hand. “Lady, may I have a puppy?”

       Darcy held one of the dog plushes in front of her face, scrutinizing it. “Hey, this is not a puppy!” She held up one of the toys, lofting it like a prize to be won on a game show, her other hand pointing to it in classic Vanna White fashion. “This is a HOUND. H-O-U-N-D. Hound. Not some pansy puppy, a fierce, majestic hound that--”

       Jane rolled her eyes. “Oh, just give the boy the dog, Darcy!”

       The younger woman grinned and placed the plush animal on the counter. “Here ya go, kid.”

       They traded the money for the toy and Darcy said nothing about how Dean hadn’t paid full price. Cas sleepily mumbled that he wanted an doggy too, but Lucifer just shushed him and bounced him a little, humming a few bars of a tune; he fell completely asleep almost instantly.

       “Are you ready to return home, brother?” Thor asked.

       Loki nodded, shifting Sammy so his head was more comfortably on his shoulder. “Yes, I’ll meet you at the entrance in 10 minutes, I just need to go put Sam in his carseat.”

       “We can take him--” Anna started to say, but Loki smiled and shook his head.

       “No, you are carrying enough things. Besides, I do not want to wake him and it is...pleasant. I love children, but I rarely get to interact with them.” He walked with the group out to Lucifer’s car, aware of the ashy-haired teen’s eyes on him almost the entire way. Sammy stirred when Loki had to stop suddenly for a car passing, so he hummed a Norwegian lullaby. Lucifer strapped the first graders in, then carefully took Sam from Loki. Loki leaned on the car while the blonde fiddled with the clips.

       “I really enjoyed this. Thank you, Lucifer.”

       “Yeah, it was fun having you with us,” Lucifer flashed him a smile, straightening up. For a moment, they were face to face, chests nearly touching. Then Lucifer tooks a few steps away and Loki moved so he could shut the door.

       “So um...see you on Monday, I guess.” Lucifer rubbed his neck awkwardly, unsure how to part. Friendship is difficult, apparently.

       “Yeah, see you then.” Loki hesitated, but lightly placed his hand on Lucifer’s shoulder like Lucifer had done the other day. He gave him a little smile, then turned and walked away, back toward the entrance of the fairgrounds to wait for his brother. Lucifer stared after him, still feeling the phantom presence of Loki’s hand on his shoulder. There was a cough from the other side of the car and he turned his head to see Lilith with her chin resting in her folded arms atop the roof of the car, a shrewd little smile on her lips.

       “You two are so cuuuute in your idiocy,” she crooned. Lucifer reached over and pushed her head so she had to take a few steps back, though he was grinning and his face felt hot.

       “Shut up and go home, Lilith.”

       Lilith laughed and blew a kiss at him. “See you tomorrow!” she called, waving at them as she walked down the parking lot to find her car.

       Lucifer got in his car, shaking his head. He buckled up and smiled as he glanced in the back seat. Castiel was leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder, fast asleep. Dean was sitting protectively between Castiel and Sam, fighting off sleep. His head would nod down a few times, eyes closing, then it would shoot up again as he forced his eyes wide. Anna and Lucifer shared a smile, then Lucifer backed out of the spot and drove away, Dean’s eyes staying closed this time as he leaned against Sam’s car seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was ridiculously hard to title. :P
> 
> THIS CHAPTER IS SO FULL OF CUTENESS AUGHSJ I LOVE IT. Kid!Cas and Kid!Dean are my favorites, they are just way too cute.
> 
> Next week is Halloween!


	14. Saturday: Tax Evasion and Chivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween!!  
> Featuring "The War of Reason and Desire: a Peek into the Mind of Lucifer Milton"

_Saturday_

       On Saturday morning, Lucifer wasn’t accosted by his alarm clock; instead, he woke up to the sound of Castiel’s voice echoing through the stairwell.

       “Lu! Lu! LU! WAKE UP! Are you waked up yet?”

       Lucifer rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. He didn’t know what time it was but it felt way too early. He cracked one eye open to glance at the time. 11:14. _Oh. Maybe not._ He threw off the sheets and climbed out of bed, rubbing the sand out of his eyes.

       Castiel was standing at the top of the stairs still in his pajamas, clutching one of his stuffed animals. He took a deep breath to start another round of wake up calls when Lucifer appeared at the bottom.

       “You know, you’re allowed to come down here, Cas.”

       “But it’s cold and scary and Gabe said there’s spiders.”

       “But two less than yesterday, sucker,” Gabe said, coming out of the bathroom. He punched Lucifer on the shoulder before disappearing back into his room. Lucifer stared at the closed door with an eyebrow raised before starting to go up the steps.

       “Anyway, what is it you need, buddy?” He grabbed Cas and slung him over his shoulder, carrying him into the kitchen.

       “It’s Halloween, Lu’. I want to go trick-or-treating,” he said, hanging upside down. His chest bounced against Lucifer’s back with every step.

       “It’s not even lunch time. Trick-or-treating doesn’t start ‘til later.” He dropped Castiel off in one of the kitchen chairs and went to make himself some breakfast. The little boy situated himself so he was comfortable, propping his animal up in the chair next to him.

       “But we still have to get costumes though.”

       Lucifer put the box of cereal he was holding back in the cupboard because no one had managed to pick up more milk yet and instead stuck some bread in the toaster. Cas was looking at him with large, hopeful eyes. Lucifer pushed the button on the toaster before leaning back on the cabinet and crossing his arms.

       “Cas, you know we can’t afford stuff like that right now. Don’t you still have your costume from last year?”

       Castiel’s face fell but he nodded. Lucifer felt his heart twist a little at his brother’s disappointment but they were cutting it especially close this month and couldn’t spare the money on such frivolities. What little extra they had they spent at the fair the day before.

       The toaster popped and Lucifer felt as if that was his little mental light bulb flickering on. He moved the toast onto a plate and left it sitting on the counter. “I think I have an idea, buddy. Follow me.”

       Castiel grabbed his animal and trailed Lucifer out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Michael was at work, Raphael back at college, both Anna and Uriel out with friends, and their father locked in his room so the house was quiet except for the faint strains of music coming from Gabe’s room.

       Lucifer reached up and grabbed the string to pull the hatch to the attic open, giving it a sharp tug. Cas pressed himself against the wall as the ladder clattered down from the ceiling. Lucifer laughed and took his hand, helping him up into the old room.

       It was dank and dusty; no one had been up here in a long time. A shaft of light shone in from the single, round window and they could see the particles of dust float by. Several pieces of furniture were crammed against the far wall but there were mainly cardboard boxes stacked high and on almost every inch of floor space. The attic spread out over most of the second floor so there was plenty of room but also plenty of history to fill it. Lucifer wagered there was stuff in here at least a hundred years old. The Miltons had lived in this house for generations, each one leaving behind some kind of memento.

       Castiel gazed out over the collection, his mouth hanging open slightly and Lucifer wondered if he’d ever actually been up here. Before their mom died there were plans to clean it out and convert it into a kind of family game room. But then she passed and their father had stuffed everything away and locked the door, hoping maybe that the sad memories and unfinished projects would stay behind it.

       It wasn’t exactly a rule in the house to keep out of the attic but they rarely had any reason to go in so it became some sort of unspoken agreement. So while he wasn’t technically doing anything wrong, Lucifer was still glad that Michael happened to be out of the house. He pulled Castiel forward and they approached the boxes closest to them.

       “What is this stuff, Lu’?” Cas asked, touching the edge of one of the boxes gingerly.

       “It’s a bunch of old things that our family has been storing up here for a long time. There’s probably stuff in here that belonged to our great-great-great grandparents. Back when they first built this house and probably even before that. They left all kinds of things from their life so we could look at it now.”

       “Whoa...” Cas twisted around to see all the boxes again now that he knew what they were. “What are we doing up here?”

       “Well, I figure some of our relatives must have worn clothes. So I thought we could see what’s up here and maybe find you a costume? Whaddaya think?”

       Castiel bounced up and down. “Yeah!”

       They spent the rest of the morning scavenging through tons of boxes and sorting through a plethora of old trinkets and heirlooms, laughing and marveling at all the things they came across.

       An hour or so later, they heard the front door slam and Lucifer tensed up even though he knew it was too early for Michael to be getting home. His shoulders relaxed when they heard Anna’s voice carry through the house.

       “Hello? Anyone home?”

       “We’re in the attic, Anna!” Castiel answered. Her footsteps thumped up the stairs and then the ladder creaked and they saw her red hair emerge through the opening.

       “Over here! Look at us!”

       She turned around and laughed at her brothers. Castiel had on a tattered, old trenchcoat that was many sizes too big for him. The sleeves flopped around and the tails dragged across the floor as he modeled his new wardrobe for Anna. Lucifer was sporting some 60’s style sunglasses and a horrendous sequin vest.

       “What are you guys doing?” she asked, coming over to kneel by the box they were currently working on. “And which one of our relatives wore that?” She wrinkled her nose and gestured at Lucifer’s vest.

       “Not sure but they really liked them.” He pointed at the box next to him where dozens of similar articles of clothing were folded.

       “We’re finding Halloween costumes,” Cas said turning in circles and watching his coat swirl around him.

       Anna laughed. “Please tell me you’re not going in that, Lu.”

       “God, no. I’d never be able to show my face in public again.”

       The siblings continued rooting through their family’s history until Anna opened one of the boxes and said, “Guys? I think I may have found something.” Lucifer folded the quilt he was holding and went over to inspect what Anna had scrounged up.

       “Alright, this I can work with. Cas, how do you feel about tax evasion?”

       “What?”

       “Nothing, come here and try this on.”

* * *

 

       John Winchester dropped his boys off around 5:30, only staying for a few moments before getting back in his car and driving off. Lucifer was used to the man’s brief, come and go type of parenting but it still left him with a kind of hollow feeling in his stomach every time it happened. The Milton children were no strangers to deadbeat dads and at least Sam and Dean’s father interacted with them. But the fact that his own father was the way he was made Lucifer resent any man who didn’t cherish every moment he had with his kids.

       The Winchester brothers weren’t dressed yet; Dean lugged a bag with their costumes up to the front porch while Anna carried Sam. She had found a 1950’s era powder blue party dress in one of the boxes of their grandmother’s clothing. It was knee-length and the top reminded Lucifer of a sailor’s uniform, with two columns of black buttons and a large black bow tied at the base of the collar. She wore over it a brown knee-length raincoat she had found in the same box, since it looked like the weather could possibly turn bad and she didn’t want to ruin the vintage dress. Plus, it flared out dramatically when she walked, so it added to her costume’s overall look.

       Castiel came barreling out the front door when he heard the car doors. The outfit was a little big on him but it made him look slightly more muscular and bulky which was fitting. Lucifer wasn’t sure which relatives were leading a crime syndicate in the middle-of-nowhere, California, and why they had included children but at least it made for a good Halloween costume. They’d found a pinstripe suit and fedora for Lucifer and its miniature for Castiel. Lucifer had on an overcoat as well but Cas was complaining that it was too hot so he went without.

       “Dean, hurry up and get your costume on so we can go!” Cas said, dragging the bag with the costumes in it over the doorstep. Anna laughed and grabbed Sam’s costume out of the bag to get him dressed. Dean took his into the bathroom to change, coming out a few minutes later in full sheriff’s attire.

       “Put your hands where I can see ‘em,” he said, pointing his guns at Castiel.

       “You’ll never take me alive!” Cas ran into the living room and ducked behind the couch. Dean took cover behind the big recliner and aimed his pistol over the arm.

       Lucifer came in with his hat in his hands. “What are you two doing?”

       “That rotten scoundrel stole money from the bank so I have to arrest him!” Dean answered.

       “I’ll never give it back!” Cas made a dash for the kitchen and Dean shot at him, adding the sound effects in himself.

       Cas clutched at his chest and toppled to the ground, groaning. Lucifer knelt at his side.

       “Go on without me,” Cas whispered then collapsed, lolling his tongue out. Lucifer stood back up and looked at Dean.

       “You’re gonna pay for that, sheriff,” he said, then rushed at him, scooping up the boy and swinging him around the living room.

       Anna came back in with Sam, who was wearing a little moose costume.

       “Boys! Are we ready to go?”

       Lucifer stopped spinning Dean and set him back on the ground. Castiel got back up and went to grab his trick-or-treat bag from the kitchen. The five of them paraded outside. Anna set Sam in the wagon they pulled from the garage and they set off.

* * *

 

       Loki was completely still. He was a lion lurking in the grass for the perfect moment to pounce, a snake coiled and waiting to strike. He was sitting on his front porch in a cheap suit of costume armor with a bowl of candy in his lap waiting for small children to come up so he could scare them.

       He was so excited. Halloween was awesome.

       Loki allowed the next group of children to take a piece of candy from the bowl without moving an inch. They would be spared. The next may not be so lucky.

       Loki waited...

* * *

 

       Dean and Castiel were having a blast. They were running from house to house with the endless energy that children possess, Lucifer and Anna struggling to keep up with them while still toting Sam in the wagon. The two year old was much more selective about his trick-or-treating. He only bothered to get out of the wagon when a house looked flashy or had some sort of decoration. Cas and Dean took whatever candy they could get their hands on, and their bags were quickly filling up.

       They wound their way through the neighborhood and took all the routes that Lucifer remembered resulted in the best candy. Eventually they came to the last stretch of houses on their course. It was a nice part of town: upper middle class, neatly trimmed lawn, a tree or two out front. Dean and Castiel spotted a house with a big suit of armor sitting on the porch and they took off, Sammy toddling along behind them.

       “Dean, wait for your brother, he wants to come!” Anna called from the sidewalk. She and Lucifer stood and waited while the younger ones raced up the driveway and up to the porch. The suit of armor had a bowl of candy in its lap and a sign that said “Take one piece only please.”

* * *

 

       Loki saw a small group approaching his house through the slits in the visor. The field of vision wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to see a suit, a cowboy, and a tiny moose waddling toward him. His next targets had been sighted. Little kids always tried to take a handful and he would grab the wrist of anyone who took more than one piece. He forced himself to be still, fingers wanting to twitch.

        _Patience, Loki, they will come to you,_ he thought.

       The children ran closer, then stopped a few feet away so they could read the sign. They were young, one boy’s voice haltingly reading the words. They stepped closer. Their hands reached for the bowl. The little moose grabbed a handful.

       Loki struck.

       His gauntleted hand snapped closed around the littlest boy’s wrist as he let out an unearthly moan, the sound reverberating through the metal. The boys screamed and tried to scramble away. One backed off as the other, the cowboy, swung his candy bag at Loki’s head with one hand while the other fired a toy gun at him, shouting “LET GO OF MY BROTHER, YOU METAL MONSTER!!” Loki laughed--until the boy whose wrist he was holding slumped forward and started to sob, fat tears rolling down his chubby cheeks. Loki immediately regretted his actions and stood up quickly, sending the candy bowl flying to the ground, so he could kneel on the ground by the boy, who flopped into a sitting position, tipped back his head, and wailed in fear. The Norwegian frantically tried to calm the boy as he heard footsteps of older people, probably his parents or siblings, running toward them. He reached out toward the kid, but that only made him cry harder. He finally got a good look at the kids, their faces bathed in the yellow light of the porch light, and he suddenly recognised them: these were the Winchester brothers and Castiel. Which meant...those footsteps would likely be only one person... He swore in Norwegian.

       Loki took off his helmet, reassuring Sam the Moose that he was just a person, just Loki from the festival, as the footsteps slowed to a stop near him. He guiltily looked up into the face of one very shocked Lucifer Milton, a sheepish half-smile on his lips.

       "Loki? Is that you?" he said, bounding up the steps to grab Dean and hold him back from attacking Loki. Anna picked up Sam and held him close to her, bouncing him slightly and making hushing noises to calm him down.

       "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--I was only trying--it was just a joke..."

       "Hey, calm down, it's fine," Lucifer said. "Dean, back off, it's just Loki." The boy crossed his arms and huffed but he quit trying to throw punches. Candy was scattered all over the floor and Cas bent down to pick it up, piece by piece, and put it back into Loki's bowl. Lucifer let go of Dean and knelt down to help Cas and Loki joined them as well, his armor clanking with every shift.

       The front door of Loki's house crashed open and hit Loki so he stumbled forward, knocking into Castiel who fell back on his bottom. " _(What's all the noise out here?)_ " the man who stepped out of the house demanded. Loki cringed at the voice and moved to stand back up. The others were baffled by the unfamiliar words and looked up at who must have been Loki's father.

       " _(Sorry, father, I knocked over the candy bowl,)_ " Loki replied. Lucifer scooped the last of the candy back into the bowl and set it on Loki's chair before helping Castiel stand back up.

       Loki's father was shorter than him with a crown of white hair and a beard to match. Although in stature he was smaller, his presence was powerful and Lucifer felt judged just standing there. The man looked tired and worn down and Lucifer remembered Loki mentioning his father being ill. Even so, his sharp blue eyes scanned the crowd on his doorstep and his eyebrows furrowed disapprovingly.

       " _(What is going on?)_ " he asked, speaking to Loki but keeping his eyes on the rest of them, particularly Lucifer.

       " _(They're just here for Halloween. Although, this is my friend Lucifer and his family. I went to the fair with them yesterday.)_ " Loki gestured between them all and Lucifer picked out his name and understood enough to realize he was being introduced.

       "Nice to meet you, sir," he said, holding his hand out to Loki's father. Odin made no move to accept it, instead looking him up and down, the unimpressed look on his face never wavering.

       " _(Tell them to take their treats and go home. I don't want a bunch of children making a fuss outside my house.)_ " He turned around and went back inside, slamming the door behind him.

       The Miltons and Winchesters were quiet, stunned at the little display and having no idea what happened. Loki looked incredibly embarrassed. He faced the others but kept his eyes on the ground.

       "I'm very sorry about that. He's...a little...grumpy..."

       "Don't worry about it," Lucifer said. He put his arms around Cas and Dean's shoulders. "Our dads won’t exactly be winning father of the year award anytime soon either.”

       Loki gave him a sympathetic, though quizzical, smile and walked with as little clanking as he could manage over to Sam, who was still in Anna’s arms. He leaned down so he was more on the boy’s level and smiled.

       “Sorry I scared you, Sammy.”

       The boy looked him over critically, then grinned. “Poki!” he squealed happily, patting one hoof-covered hand on Loki’s head. Loki laughed, wiggling his fingers at him with the groans and squeaks of metal on metal. Lucifer smiled at them, and Loki turned to him, still smiling warmly.

       “You look really nice in that suit, very handsome, but...I thought Halloween was for costumes and informal outfits, and you’re all so dressed up.” Loki tipped his head, his brows creasing together in confusion, reaching a hand out to touch the suit jacket but curled his fingers back when he remembered he was in a fairly dirty suit of armor. “That looks way too fancy to be a costume.”

       “They are costumes, we’re mobsters from the ‘40s,” Lucifer explained. “The suits looks fancy because they’re authentic. We found all our outfits in our attic; we’ve got a bunch of old stuff up there. Our family has been in the house for many generations.”

       Loki blinked, thinking this over. “Oh. Well, that makes more sense.”

       Now that Sammy was no longer upset, Dean seemed to have forgiven Loki and forgotten about the incident entirely. He tugged on Lucifer’s hand insistently, whining, “Luuuciii, can we go now? We have more candy to get, you said we could go a few more streets before we stopped for the night, come oooon.” Dean let go of Lucifer’s hand and latched on to Castiel, pulling him down the stairs and over the lawn, stopping at the curb to wait impatiently. Anna took Sam and set him back in the wagon.

       “I guess that’s my cue,” Lucifer said. “It was nice to, uh...meet your dad. I’ll see you on Monday.” He tipped his fedora and went to join the rest of the gang, giving Loki one last wave before they left the cul-de-sac and turned onto the next street.

       Loki watched them go, then put his helmet back on and resumed his position, on the lookout for the next unfortunate travelers.

* * *

 

       The Milton house was quiet, save for the constant rumble of the old pipes and the creaking of the walls. Anna had already put Cas to bed and turned in herself, Michael had gone to sleep early for some job-related thing in the morning, and even Gabe had taken a hall pass on the late night tv and locked himself away in his room. Lucifer locked his own door behind him and stripped down to his underwear, throwing his clothes into a heap in the corner. He threw his night shirt on and slipped into bed after switching the lights off.

       The sounds of the house combined with the noises outside created a rather relaxing ambience and Lucifer found himself already starting to nod off. The events of the day scrolled through his subconscious like a movie reel and began to drift into sleep until a certain voice permeated his thoughts. _You look really nice in that suit, very handsome..._

       He bolted upright.

       He hadn’t really caught it at the time but Loki had called him handsome. As in, attractive. As in, possibly attracted to him. Holy shit.

       Lucifer slowly laid back down, eyes wide and mind suddenly awake with images of Loki. What was he wearing under that armor, anything at all? His shirt was probably clinging to him with sweat, it must have been pretty warm in there. Lucifer could imagine when he took it all off, the armor a pile of metal at his feet. His clothes would be all sticky and gross, so he would take them off too, his legs miles of pale, gorgeous skin. Lucifer could also imagine Loki riding up to his house on a horse in his suit, come to take him away from his life, his own real-life knight in shining armor--

        _Whoa, there, bronco. Let’s not get too carried away. It’s just a Halloween costume and a throwaway piece of dialogue, no point in getting all worked up about it--_

        _But did you see how he wore it, how he carried himself in it? Like he was a goddamn KING; he made that armor look natural! Most people just clunk around, but he had some real grace in that suit--_

        _Don’t kid yourself; he barely moved anywhere. We didn’t even make it off the porch--_

        _Except when Loki got down on the ground to pick up that candy. Loki. On all fours. Right in front of you. Ohh man, talk about eye candy, happy Halloween me--_

        _Oh, you’re so hilarious. I thought we decided we were just going for friendship here; no need to go messing that all up--_

        _Shut up, you know you want that ass, stop denying it. Yes, you have the hots for Loki, and you need to deal with that very soon because daaamn. Everyone can see the chemistry, even Loki, no way that stunt with the honey was an accident and let’s not forget he called you attractive--_

        _He said handsome, not attractive--_

        _Ha! You agree! He complimented you on your looks, but he didn’t just compliment you. He could have said “nice” or “good” but no he went straight for the big guns and said handsome. He definitely likes you--_

        _Except he DID say “nice.” I think we just need to take a step back for a moment and look at what happened from an unbiased--_

        _But we are biased and that’s exactly the point. Besides, he used the words “you,” “look,” and “handsome” all in the same sentence. I’m not sure how unbiased we can get here--_

        _I think you’re taking this a bit out of context--_

        _I think you need to take a step out of your pity box and look around yourself. I’m more right than you care to admit, you’re just scared of following your emotions and instincts--_

        _Yes, because that worked out brilliantly last time. I’m sure he especially appreciated the drooling. That was a lovely touch--_

        _He did seem to appreciate it. If we just give this a chance, it could be amazing, I **know** that he is interested--_

        _How could you possibly know that for sure?--_

        _I just do--_

        _Well, interested or not doesn’t change the fact that this is a dangerous line to walk. You know what would happen if Michael ever found out--_

        _Yeah, but life is about taking risks. How can you possibly hope to really live if you live in fear all the time? We hafta stand up to him, fight for who we love! Our feelings are our own, Michael can’t do anything about that--_

        _He might not be able to change your mind but he can hurt you enough to try. Let’s weigh the options here. We met Loki, what, two weeks ago? Love is an awfully strong word. Is he really worth Michael making our life hell?--_

        _Is living like this any better? You can’t get into a stable relationship, or even ANY relationship, without fear of your brother. Some happiness you have to fight for. Loki could make us very happy--_

        _But at what cost? He’s no good to you if you’re lying brain dead in a hospital because Michael beat the shit out of you--_

        _Michael wouldn’t go that far, he wouldn’t risk getting arrested--_

        _You don’t know how far he would go. You know what happened the first time around and that was just an admission. Imagine his reaction when there’s another actual person involved. Did you ever think what might happen to Loki if he got caught up in this?--_

        _Michael wouldn’t hurt someone else, he's not that stupid! He--_

        _I’m just saying you should think of all the possible consequences before you go riding off into the sunset serenading each other about true love--_

        _Mmm, bet his singing voice would be gorgeous. Especially if he was ‘singing’ in my bed, with my--_

       Lucifer groaned and pressed his fingers to his eyes, hard enough that it hurt a little. _I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with myself_ , he thought, feeling his face heat up with the mental images that came along with that last comment his mind had made. He dragged his hands down his face, trying to rid himself of the thoughts tumbling around in his head. Rolling onto his side, the blanket tangling around him, he focused on the creaking pipes and whistling wind, trying to find that serene quiet state he had been in before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The very last bit is what we call “The War of Reason and Desire”, which is just a fun little bit we did as a way to give you readers a look into how Lucifer argues with himself sometimes. GoodShip played the part of Desire, The Captain being the voice of Reason, and it was written line by line like a true argument. It’s silly but it was fun and hold some important information hidden in it.   
> Hope you enjoyed, please send us a comment, we love hearing from you!!
> 
> PS most of the information about Norway and its customs we get from from a blog written a few years ago by an American that moved there. So, if anything we say is incorrect, please let us know and we will do our best to fix it!!


	15. DAY 13: My People Skills Are Rusty

_Monday, DAY 13_

       The school day was uneventful, just an endless sea of faces he didn’t care about and the blather of teachers. Loki doodled in detention instead of reading his history assignment. A folded square of paper landed on his desk. Glancing up at Ms. Tyler, their current detention babysitter, he slowly unfolded the note to minimize the sound.

        _You doing anything on Thursday after school?_ the note read in Lucifer’s slightly slanted penmanship.

        _Nothing of particular importance. Why?_ Loki passed the note back, risking a quick brush of his fingertips against the skin of Lucifer’s thumb. The brief contact made both of them shiver slightly. Lucifer quickly unfolded the note and Loki watched his eyes scan the new words.

       Lucifer tapped the end of his pencil on his chin, debating internally. He came to a decision and scribbled down, _What’s your stance on Disney movies?_

       Loki gave him a confused glance, then wrote, _The animation is well crafted and the songs are usually tolerable if not entertaining, though I prefer Pixar’s work. Why?_

       Lucifer grinned. _Because Lilith declared years ago that every third Thursday was to be movie night and that’s what we usually end up watching. Well, that or Monty Python._

       Loki gave him a blank look and Lucifer snatched the paper back with a small sigh. _I was wondering if you would like to join us. I could take you there, then drive you home afterwards. We go to Lilith’s house because she has more movies and a better tv. And no annoying siblings to worry about._

       Loki chewed on his bottom lip while he thought about it and Lucifer couldn’t help but watch the flashes of pearly white teeth on pink skin. He tore his eyes away as Loki’s dark hair obscured his vision; Loki had leant down to write something back.

        _Must I wear anything particular?_

       Lucifer scrunched up his face in confusion. _No, just wear whatever you would normally wear to school, we’ll be going straight to her house after my shift at the Hub. Why would you think you’d have to wear anything different?_

        _Because in Norway, going over to another’s house was a very big deal. Fancy clothes, clean the house, the best food... I thought it all rather extravagant, but it is tradition._

        _Oh...I mean, you can dress up if you want to, but we usually end up throwing Cheetos at each other and arguing about the blatantly unrealistic presentation of physics in kids’ films._

        _No, I prefer casual clothing. Thank you for inviting me, it sounds like it will be fun._

       Five o’clock came quickly and the boys were soon on the road to the Hub. It was a fairly busy day, and Lucifer swiftly went to his station. After ordering his coffee, Loki looked around for a place to sit. He saw Jack sitting at a table in the back with Billy, who was staring at a table across the restaurant between bursts of typing. The teen hadn’t planned to sit with them, but Jack saw him and waved him over with a friendly smile, and Loki felt it would be rude to ignore him or refuse the gesture. So he sat down beside Jack and pulled out some homework, setting his coffee safely to one side. Loki glanced up and caught Billy staring again, so he followed his gaze as the man sighed dreamily. There was a very pretty red headed woman sitting at the table he was staring at.

       Loki leaned over to speak quietly to Jack. “Why does Billy keep staring at that woman?"

       “Oh, our Billy has a crush as big as the Golden Gate Bridge, but he is too shy to act on it.” That got Jack a fleeting glare before Billy turned his eyes back to his computer screen, hunching his shoulders as he typed.

       “I just don’t want to be ‘that creepy guy who hit on me in the Hub and I think may be stalking me’. Because my ‘people skills’ are ‘rusty’ and I know that’s how I’d end up coming across to her.” Billy did actual air quotes from around his laptop, which amused both Jack and Loki.

       “Have you? Been stalking her, I mean.” Loki asked, curious as to why she might get that impression.

       “No!” Billy responded hotly, then looked a bit embarrassed. “I have just...memorized some of her habits and adapted my schedule to hers.”

       “He knows what days she does her laundry at the laundromat, which day she shops at Super Valu, knows that she’s a vegetarian based off what she buys, has memorized her license plate number, and how she takes her coffee, among some other tidbits.”

       “Oh...so what’s her name?”

       Billy hunched further into his laptop, ears and what they could see of his face red, while Jack laughed uproariously.

       “That is the one thing he doesn’t know yet,” Jack explained once he caught his breath.

       Loki looked back and forth from Jack to Billy, sure that they must be joking. “You know her grocery list but not her name?”

       “It’s...it hasn’t come up in conversation,” Billy said, shrinking behind his screen.

       “Isn’t that typically one of the first things you talk about?” Loki asked.

       “Probably...”

       Loki narrowed his eyes. “You’ve never spoken to her? Not even once?”

       Jack started laughing again. “He’s been pining after her for over a year and hasn’t had the guts to talk to her once. I really don’t understand how he hasn’t accidentally stumbled on to her name by now. I mean, even I know her name and I wasn’t even trying.”

       Billy’s eyes widened. “You know her name? Well, what are you waiting for? Tell me!”

       Jack leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Nope. You gotta work for it. Besides, the rest of us have a bet going. Loki, you want in? How long it’s going to take him to work up the nerve?”

       Loki smiled but declined the offer. Billy looked perplexed. “Wait, you have a pool going for me? I thought you said that--”

       “Shh, that doesn’t matter. The important thing to remember is that you’re a wuss who can’t talk to girls,” Jack interrupted.

       “I can too talk to girls...” Billy protested.

       “Your mother doesn’t count.”

       Billy didn’t have a comeback so he slumped in his chair and returned to typing.

       Loki hid a small smile behind his coffee. “So, what are you typing?”

       Billy looked up at him, his frown disappearing at Loki’s question. “It’s my blog. I just kind of write about my day, what’s happening, keep track of my work. Stuff like that.”

       “So it’s like a diary?” Jack snickered.

       “...No. It’s cooler than that.”

       “Do you think she reads it?” Loki tipped his head to indicate the girl.

       Billy’s eyes widened and the color drained from his cheeks. “Jesus, I hope not.” He leaned forward a little and whispered, “Truth is, most of it’s about her. If she read it, she might think I was a joke or a dork.”

       “I don’t think anyone needs to read your blog to figure that out,” Jack said.

       Billy glared at him.

       Lucifer came over on his way to clean some tables and asked what they were talking about. Loki gestured discreetly at the girl on the other side of the restaurant. Lucifer glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Ah.”

       “Hey!” Billy said, sitting up in his chair. “I haven’t asked you. Do you know what her name is?”

       “Her? Yeah, of course. I take her order all the time.”

       Billy’s mouth hung open a little. “Well, what is it? Please, don’t leave me hanging. Please, please, please?” He clasped his hands together and stuck his bottom lip out.

       Lucifer snorted. “Why don’t you ask her yourself? Or you could at least get a job here and then you could stop freeloading.”

       “I pay for my coffee, thank you very much.”

       “Yeah, one coffee doesn’t justify you being here all day. You do know there’s a whole town outside of this shop right? Do you even have your own house?” Billy gave him a sarcastic smile and Lucifer grinned, throwing his towel over his shoulder, walking off to finish his tasks.

       Loki pulled a book out of his bag and cracked it open to his assignment. Jack and Billy continued talking but he kind of tuned them out and managed to get some homework done before his brother came to pick him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day everbody! I hope you had an amazing day with your special someone or the internet.  
> This chapter is a little short, but it's a nice little break after all the action in the last two chapters, and sets up for the next major part of this arc.
> 
> Also, as we have gotten and filled four headcanon requests so far on our tumblr page, I have decided I will start posting them here! So keep an eye out for those, most of them are writen by the fantastic Captain and they are all quite adorable and heart-wrenching and just all around awesome. Send us a comment or message if you would like to request one!
> 
> Thank you as always for your support, and please PLEASE comment! We want to know your thoughts!!
> 
> Oh, PS Please correct us if our Norway tidbit is incorrect. We aim for accuracy but sometimes miss.


	16. DAY 14: Home Sick

_Tuesday, DAY 14_

       Lucifer didn’t think his day could get much more exciting than the epic battle he’d had with the strange insect in the bathroom that morning. It was a freaky-ass bug, all long and fuzzy with long antennae and it was crawling everywhere and WOULD NOT DIE. He eventually herded it into the toilet bowl and flushed it away with a victorious grin. Once he proclaimed himself the victor and added a tally to his bug count, he trotted upstairs to wake Castiel. As usual, he banged on Anna’s door as he passed and heard her shuffling around before he went into Castiel’s room.

       “Rise and shine, Cas,” he sang out as he flung open the curtains. There was a low moan from the bed. That was his first warning sign; Castiel was not exactly a heavy sleeper and usually woke to Lucifer’s voice and the sun. He crouched beside the low bed, digging his hands into the thick comforter for his brother. “Cas? Time to wake up.”

       “Don’ feel good,” was the soft reply from the blanket mound.

       “What’s that?” Lucifer asked, peeling away the layers until Cas appeared. His face was flushed and his hair was plastered to his forehead, his eyes red-rimmed and barely cracked open. A small moan escaped him as Lucifer rolled him over.

       Lucifer’s smile faded at the sight of him. He pulled his brother onto his lap and brushed his hair away. “Hey, hey, what’s the matter?” Castiel’s forehead was burning up and heat was radiating from his cheeks.

       “I don’t feel good,” he mumbled, curling up and turning his face in to Lucifer’s chest.

       “Alright, come on then, let’s go check your temperature.” He slipped his arm under Cas’s knees and lifted him off the bed, maneuvering out of the bedroom and down the hall into the bathroom. He set Cas down gingerly on the counter and rummaged around in the cabinets for the thermometer.

       Cas pressed his lips together and shook his head when Lucifer returned with the thermometer in hand.

       “Come on, Cas. Open up, we gotta make you better.” Castiel was looking up at him with those puppy dog eyes but Lucifer steeled himself. “Hey now. Work with me, here. Just this once and then we’ll have hamburgers for dinner tomorrow, okay? How’s that?”  
Castiel squinted at him but opened his mouth slightly.

       “101.9. Well, no wonder you feel bad.” He hoisted Cas back up into his arms and carried him back into his room. Once Cas had changed into some fresh clothes, Lucifer scooped him up again. The boy wrapped his arms around his brother’s neck and dropped his head onto his shoulder.

       Anna came out of her room as they were passing and Lucifer watched her take in the situation and the concern form on her face. “What’s wrong?” she asked, following them downstairs.

       “He’s got a fever but he’ll be alright. Could you call his school and tell them he’ll be staying home though. It’s not serious but he definitely shouldn’t go in today.”

       She nodded and went to grab the phone. Meanwhile, Lucifer made Castiel a little nest on the couch and switched on some cartoons for him while he went to fix some breakfast.

       Michael had apparently left for work early as he was nowhere to be seen, Gabriel had yet to emerge from the depths, and Uriel was probably still locked away in his room as well. He poured a couple glasses of water and made some more toast since the fridge was still frustratingly devoid of milk.

       He carried his and Cas’s breakfast back to the living room and found Uriel wresting the remote from Castiel’s hands.

       “Uriel, stop!” Castiel’s voice was already weak but strained even more as he held desperately to the remote.

       “Says who?”

       “Luci said I could watch cartoons. Let go!”

       “You think you can stop me?”

       Cas whined and curled up around the remote while Uriel continued to pry at his hands. Lucifer set the glasses and plates down and then went over to push Uriel away from Cas. “Hey, what the hell? Back off.”

       Uriel collapsed on the other side of the couch and looked up at Lucifer with a sneer.

       “What?”

       “What are you doing? He’s six years old.”

       Uriel sneer faded but he set his jaw and crossed his arms. “So?”

       “So stop being a total douchebag and leave him alone. Go get ready for school or something but keep away from Cas.” He stared Uriel down until the teenager got up off the couch and sulked upstairs, muttering under his breath.

       Lucifer took Uriel’s spot on the couch and pulled their breakfast closer on the coffee table. “Cas, you okay?”

       The boy sniffed and sat up, nodding. “You said I could watch the TV.”

       “Yeah, I know. It’s okay now. Here,” Lucifer set the toast on the couch next to Cas, “try and eat this slowly. We’ll have you better by the end of the day.”

       Castiel nodded again and broke off a corner of his toast to nibble on, his eyes already glued to the screen.

       Lucifer got up and went down to his room to change and grab his cellphone. He called his own school first to let them know not to expect him, keeping the phone pressed between his ear and shoulder as he shimmied on his pants. He threw on a tshirt and then shot Lilith a text saying he wouldn’t be coming in to school because Cas was sick. Her reply was almost instantaneous: _Look at you being all domestic. I’m not taking notes for you though._

       Lucifer rolled his eyes and bounded up the stairs to rejoin Cas on the couch. “What’d I miss?”

       His little brother was slumped down in the cushions, his chin on his chest and his knees pulled up. “Nothing, we’ve seen this one before.”

       Lucifer grabbed his toast and inspected the screen. Indeed, he’d seen the particular episode of Spongebob that was showing several times. “Well, hey, look at that. Spongebob is having toast, too.”

       “He ate two whole pieces in one bite though. I can’t do that.”

       “Hmm, let’s see. Open wide.”

       Cas stretched his mouth as wide as possible and Lucifer measured the piece of toast. “Nope. You’re gonna need a bigger mouth.” Lucifer put the toast back on the plate and brushed the crumbs off his fingers as Spongebob asked Patrick what he normally did when he was gone.

       “Wait for you get back,” Cas mimicked, emulating Patrick’s deep voice and teary warble.

       Lucifer smiled down at his brother as he continued to quote the show. Taking another bite of toast, he flipped his phone open and texted Lilith back. _You better fucking take notes for me. I’m not failing Chemistry because YOU’RE lazy._

        _Hey, let’s be real here, I don’t think either of us are passing chem anyway. Dr. Jones has it out for us._

        _That’s because you’re obnoxious in class._

        _Just because she can’t handle my star quality doesn’t mean I should fail the class._

        _Omfg you are such a diva._

        _Says the guy who just said the word ‘diva.’ Going to school, talk to you later._

       Shortly after Lilith announced her departure, Anna came down the stairs and darted out the door to catch the bus. “Bye, guys! Feel better, Cassie!”

       “Bye, Anna,” Cas called, weakly. Lucifer waved and popped the last bite of toast in his mouth. Uriel, now dressed but still brooding, came traipsing down the stairs after her and went into the kitchen. The middle school buses wouldn’t come for another twenty minutes so he had time to kill. Lucifer heard the sound of the fridge door being ripped open and after a few seconds of silence Uriel yell, “Why is there never any fucking milk?”

       The door to the basement snapped open as Gabriel made his entrance. “Why don’t you go out and get some.”

       “I’m 13; I don’t have a car.” Lucifer couldn’t see them but he could hear the snide look in Uriel’s voice. It wasn’t easy to out-snark Gabriel, though.

       “Hey! Did you know that bike in the garage isn’t for decoration?” Gabe clapped Uriel on the shoulder and grabbed a cup of yogurt from the fridge. The utensil drawer clattered open and closed and then Gabe came into the living room and collapsed into the recliner. “Oh, Spongebob. I like this one.”

       Cas and Lucifer both eyed him strangely as he settled in. Their older brother ignored them and ripped his yogurt open and licked clean the lid. He put a spoonful in his mouth but then waved the spoon at Lucifer. “Mmm. Hey,” he said after swallowing, “since you’re home anyway, mind if I borrow your car?. I have to drive up to campus and take care of some stuff. And the bus smells funny.”

       “I thought you only had internet classes.”

       “Yeah, but they screwed up my grades or something. I don’t know, that’s why I gotta go up there. Plus I gotta go to work so one day we might be able to afford milk and we can all stop whining about it.”

       “Okay.” The three of them sat in silence and watched the rest of the Spongebob episode, Cas or Gabe breaking out in the occasional giggle. When Gabe finished his yogurt he got up and went to throw it in the garbage can.

       “Where are your keys?” he asked Lucifer.

       “On the stand by the door,” Lucifer replied, pointing.

       “Kay. Uriel! Come on, bro, I’ll drop you off at school.”

       Uriel came padding out of the kitchen mumbling angrily but didn’t protest. He grabbed his backpack and stomped out the door with Gabriel close behind.

       The house was quiet after that, just the sound of the TV echoing through the many rooms of the old, rickety house. Lucifer wondered if their father could hear the television from up in his room. He wondered if he still laughed at the childish humor of Spongebob. Even to himself. He used to. Cartoons in the morning used to involve the whole family. All the kids would pile on the couch, tangled and crowded, all six of them. Their dad would sit back in the recliner with their mom perched on his lap, cradling baby Cas and laughing at her bundle of children on the couch. It was silly; they knew that. But they were a family back then. One that didn’t fight as much or lock themselves away or yell and scream.

       Lucifer thought about how the math didn’t add up. Technically, they’d only lost 11% of the family unit but she took so much more with her. Subtract love, add anger. That’s what had happened to the Miltons. Lucifer laughed at the improbability of all of the Milton’s sitting in the same room, let alone cuddling together on the couch.

       “Lu’, I have to go to the bathroom,” Cas said, interrupting Lucifer’s stream of thought.

       “Well, you’re sick, not handicapped,” Lucifer replied, laughing. “Go ahead.” He patted Castiel’s back as the boy scrambled off the couch and scurried toward the bathroom. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out to see another text from Lilith: _Omfg you should see the puppy dog eyes Loki’s giving your locker. Like if he stares at it long enough you’ll appear. It’s a little sad._

       Lucifer shook his head. _Very funny._

        _I am being completely serious. You want photographic evidence?_

        _No, that’s creepy._

        _You’re gonna have to take my word for it then._

       Cas crawled back on to the couch and lay down on his side, tucking his arms under his head. Lucifer was in the middle of texting Lilith back when his phone buzzed again. A message from Loki this time: _Hey, are you running late today or something?_

       Lucifer eyed the text. After that first night of exchanging numbers and the ludicrous amount of texts sent back and forth between them, they hadn’t really talked much. It was what Lilith had called the honeymoon phase which made Lucifer somewhat uncomfortable. After the slew of information they just kind of ran out of things to talk about and Lucifer was unsure of how to initiate the conversation again. He figured if Loki wanted to talk to him, he’d start the conversation first. Then again, what if Loki was waiting for him to message first? Well, he didn’t want to seem clingy or too eager. Maybe it was good that they weren’t talking as much. They didn’t want to exhaust all topics of discussion before they really got to know each other. But how else did you get to know one another? Lucifer had been on the brink of texting Loki a thousand times over the past few days but backed out in case he was sending the wrong impression. It was a circle of indecision that made him unnecessarily anxious and he wished he could just send a fucking text message and damn the consequences.

       But here was Loki with the first message now and Lucifer couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He sent Loki a reply with a smile: _No, I’m not coming to school today. Cas is sick._

        _Ah, just making sure you weren’t in a car accident or something. Is it anything serious?_

       Lucifer’s smile faded at Loki’s comment. He knew Loki didn’t know anything about his mother or their accident but that didn’t make it hurt less. But what could he say? He bypassed the remark and just answered the question. _No, he’s just got a fever but I thought it was better that he didn’t spread it around._

        _Good idea. But what about you?_

        _Don’t worry about me I have an immune system of steel._

        _Haha, I’m sure. Does this mean you’re taking the day off of work as well?_

        _Probably. Someone would be home by then but I think I’d feel better if I just stayed here with Cas. I could use a break from Owen anyway._

        _He is a bit much in close quarters._ A few seconds later, another text came in. _How did you get that job, anyway?_

        _It’s kind of a long story._

        _Well, what else do you have to do today?_

        _Fine, but you’re gonna be bored._

        _I’m sure I won’t be, your stories are always interesting._

        _Well, I guess it can’t be much worse than sitting through American History._

       Lucifer spent the next several minutes typing up the story of how he came to work at the Hub. He didn’t know why Loki was so interested; it really wasn’t an exciting story. But somehow it was nice. Lilith was a great friend. The best, if he was being honest. But she’d known him for so long, nothing was new to her anymore. Having Loki there as someone who didn’t know everything about him already was refreshing.

       So he found himself giving Loki every detail about his story until he felt like he was writing a novel. He started from the beginning, back when he was a rebellious little shit and didn’t have any regard for anyone. Silently, he thanked Lilith for being stupid or caring enough to tolerate him through that unfortunate phase. He also neglected to mention to Loki the reason behind his stint as a studded leather, spiky hair, biker wannabe because he figured he shouldn’t burden him with more of his traumatic childhood and shitty sibling relationships.

       He started off by telling him how Lilith would drag him to this new coffee shop she found called the Hub every Saturday, regardless of how much he protested. He was in intro level Spanish at the time and that was how he first met Jack. Even back then, when the restaurant was barely starting off, Jack was always at his table and never failed to give Lucifer a salute when he came in. He talked about how, in those days, he was always on edge, more or less asking for a fight. So when the opportunity presented itself he took it and didn’t hesitate. He told him about how Lilith had screamed at him but that didn’t stop him from shoving the guy into the display case and how glass went everywhere. He didn’t mention the terror and guilt and that pulsed through him as he heard the glass shatter, knowing Michael would be pissed and there was no way he could afford to pay for this. So he skipped to the part where Jack took him aside and told him he knew he was going through a hard time at the moment and that he could probably convince Ianto to let him work off the damages. He remembered how Jack had put a hand on his shoulder and told him that if he wanted it, he could probably have a permanent job here, that the work would be good for him.

       Loki didn’t reply for a good while. Mr. Coulson was big on protocol so he probably didn’t want to risk having his phone confiscated. In the meantime, the Spongebob block of television came to an end and some toddler show came on instead. Cas wrinkled his nose and reached for the remote.

       “This show is for babies.” They flipped through the channels for a few minutes but nothing piqued their interest. Instead, Lucifer flicked off the TV and chucked the remote to the other end of the couch.

       “How are you feeling, Cas? Is the toast feeling like it’s gonna stay down? ‘Cuz if you’re gonna puke I’d rather it not be on me.”  
Castiel smiled but it stretched into a yawn. “Yeah, I’m not gonna puke.”

       “Good.” Lucifer stood up to put their plates in the sink. “Hey, you wanna play Go Fish or something?”

       Cas nodded and flipped over on his back. Lucifer quirked a smile and made his way into the kitchen. Before he headed back to the living room he wove his way through the hallways to the game closet, picking a selection for him and Cas to play to pass the time.  
When he got back, though, he found Cas sprawled out and fast asleep. Setting his armful of games down, he pulled a blanket out from the hope chest and draped it over his brother.

       He sat down in the recliner and pulled his phone back out to find a text from Lilith: _So you gonna tell me what you guys were talking about?_

        _Anybody ever tell you you’re really nosy?_

        _I prefer the term persistently attentive._

        _Why are we even friends?_

        _Because you’d be lost without me. Now spill._

        _Nothing happened. We just talked about why I was staying home._

        _Oh come on. I’m about to shoot myself this class is so boring. Give me something good._

        _I told him how I got my job…is that considered juicy?_

        _Hmm, no but we’re getting there. Keep me updated._

        _Yeah whatever._

       His phone buzzed again later, when they would have been switching classes. It was from Loki: _Wow, you and Jack go way back. And you didn’t know him before that?_

        _Nope, Jack and Ianto are just naturally kind-hearted._ _If it weren’t for Lilith and them I might have never gotten out of that awful spiked leather jacket phase._

        _Haha, I’m sure you pulled it off well enough._

        _You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew me back then._

        _Well, we’ve all had our dark phases._

        _Even you?_

        _Sure. I went through a kind of rebellion myself. After I found out I was adopted I was angry at my family for a long time. I remember one particular incident when I was 14 and pissed everyone off at dinner. Afterwards I left the house and hid in the woods for hours until my brother came and found me. I was in all kinds of trouble after that._

       Lucifer laughed at the thought of Loki holed up in the woods somewhere. After meeting Odin the other day, though, he had no trouble understanding Loki’s outburst. Before he responded he texted Lilith about what Loki said about his punk days.

        _Holy shit now we know he must really like you._

        _What? Why?_

        _Because no one looks good wearing that._

        _-__-_

       Lucifer shook his head and went back to texting Loki: _Omfg, you tried to run away from home?_

        _I don’t know that I was really trying to get away for good. I didn’t even pack a bag. I just knew I really shouldn’t have been in the house after that. My father was, well, angry._

        _I can imagine._

       The two of them texted on and off throughout the day, swapping stories about stupid choices they made in their adolescence. Cas slept most of the morning and woke up in time for lunch. They made sandwiches together, or rather Cas sat on the counter and watched while Lucifer made sandwiches, and had a picnic in the living room.

        _We’re talking about embarrassing childhood moments. I thought you might appreciate that._ He texted Lilith.

        _Well that should give you plenty to talk about._

        _I do kind of consider my entire existence an embarrassing moment._

        _Don’t be so hard on yourself._

        _Thanks that’s really uplifting._

        _Tell him about that one time where you accidentally started a gang._

        _No! You know I don’t talk about that._

       After lunch, he and Cas played a rousing tournament of card games. Castiel dominated at Go Fish and Uno and left Lucifer with the Old Maid three times in a row. Lucifer took his revenge in Crazy Eights but was crushed again when they put the cards away in favor of playing Snakes and Ladders.

       “There should be a rule that you can’t land on the same snake ten times.”

       Castiel just laughed triumphantly as he ascended a ladder putting him closer to the finish. At 4:30, Anna got home and joined them and soon fell victim to Cas’s winning streak as well. The remaining members of the Milton family trickled in throughout the evening but no one else felt like playing. It wasn’t surprising; Lucifer didn’t know why he felt somewhat disappointed. They hadn’t had family game night in years.

       When Michael got home from work he hung his jacket up on the coat rack and paused in the living room on the way to his own. “Shouldn’t you be at work?” he asked Lucifer, an annoyed look on his face.

       “I had to trade days with Tosh. Cas was sick so I had to stay home.”

       Michael’s jaw set but all he said was, “Oh,” and continued on through the room. Lucifer and Anna exchanged glances, shocked that Michael wasn’t pushing the issue. Anna shrugged and Lucifer raised his eyebrows, neither of them questioning what could be considered Michael’s ‘good’ mood.

       While Anna rolled the dice for her turn, Lucifer checked his phone again. Lilith had texted him something about Kili’s shenanigans in Ireland but ignored her at the moment and read Loki’s text three times over to make sure he was seeing it right.

        _If detention was boring before, it’s almost intolerable without you there to break the tedium._

       For being from Norway, Loki had a stunningly large vocabulary and he used it to twist these frustratingly ambiguous messages. He was basically saying ‘I miss you’ right?

       Lucifer couldn’t tell if he was just seeing what he wanted to see or Loki really was trying to say something endearing.

       Exasperated, Lucifer snatched the dice and took his turn, only to hit another snake and slide further and further down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so late, everyone! RL is kind of making writing tough, and we've got a lot of projects going on. The schedule may be a bit more flexible than it usually is, especially since we are running out of prewritten parts.


	17. DAY 15: My Restaurant, My Rules

_Wednesday, DAY 15_

       “How is your brother feeling today?”

       Lucifer glanced up from his Algebra homework to the teen sitting next to him. They had slowly gotten closer throughout their detention sentence and now only sat an aisle width apart. It made softly talking and passing notes much easier. Loki looked busy, like he was writing something or maybe drawing, but Lucifer couldn’t see what it was since Loki’s forearm was in his way.

       “Much better, luckily it wasn’t anything too serious.”

       “Oh, that’s good.” Loki was silent, the scratch of his pencil the only sound between them.

       “So...you’re still good for movie night tomorrow, right?” Lucifer wanted to keep the conversation going. Loki looked over at him with a smile.

       “Of course, I’m rather excited about it. Do you know what we’ll be watching?”

       “Nah, we always vote when we get there. Is that okay?”

       “Yeah, it’s fine. Why wouldn’t it be?”

       Lucifer just shrugged, not really sure what else to say. He fiddled with his pencil and did another row of problems, glancing up at the clock. Just a few more minutes until five o’clock, thank goodness. Lucifer half focused on his work, the ticking of the clock louder in his ears than usual. Finally, the teacher dismissed them and they packed up their stuff. Loki’s arm brushed Lucifer’s as he tied his scarf around his neck in a simple, practiced knot. They walked out together, still in a companionable silence until Loki struck up another conversation.

       “Don’t be jealous but I went to the Hub yesterday without you.”

       “Really?”

       “Mm-hm. I do have legs, you know. It’s only a couple of blocks and the weather was nice.” They climbed in the car and Lucifer maneuvered out of the parking lot.

       “I didn’t notice. I was stuck inside all day.”

       “I only mention it because Jack and I talked about you.”

       Lucifer panicked a little; Jack wasn’t exactly subtle. There were a hundred things he could think of that he prayed Jack didn’t mention. He laughed and tried to sound casual. “What about? Knowing Jack it was probably something embarrassing.”

       “Depends on what you qualify as embarrassing.” Lucifer glanced over at Loki and saw he was smirking, that mischievous glint in his eyes. His heart sped up even faster, his mind running through all the things Jack might have told him. “But no, he only said that your family used to own a winery. He didn’t say much but I found it fascinating.”

       Lucifer breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, we sold it a few years ago. There’s still plenty of bottles left in the cellar along with a few old wine barrels but it’s all collecting dust.”

       “That’s a shame. Do you still go out there? In the vineyards I mean. We drive past some when we bring my father to the hospital and they look really beautiful.”

       Lucifer shrugged. “We used to play hide and seek out there all the time when I was little but I guess there’s just not much reason to go anymore.”

       “Why did you sell it?” Lucifer looked uncomfortable and Loki immediately regretted asking. He dropped his hands in his lap and twiddled his fingers. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer—”

       “No, it’s okay. It’s just…when my mom died and my dad stopped working, we just couldn’t really manage to keep up with it anymore.”

       “It must have been hard.”

       “It was sad, letting it go. But we didn’t really have any other options. It was a weird feeling, seeing Michael sign all the papers and stuff. It was like watching him hand over a piece of our family history, you know? I mean, the whole business is what brought my great-great grandparents here in the first place. They started from scratch and built our whole house and all that. That vineyard had been in the family for generations and it just felt like we lost a little bit of our paradise.” He stopped talking and looked sheepish all of the sudden. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to rant…”

       “No, no. Don’t be sorry.” Loki laid a hand on Lucifer’s arm as they pulled into the Hub’s parking lot. “I was the one who asked and besides, like I said yesterday, I always find your stories interesting. You should tell them more often.”

       Lucifer cursed the color rising in his cheeks and hurried to get out of the car. He tried to compose himself as Loki climbed out too and spoke to him over the hood of the car as he gathered his things from the back seat. “Well, what about you? Don’t you have any stories to tell? Why do I gotta be the one carrying all the conversational weight?”

       “I don’t know that many of my stories are all that intriguing.”

       Lucifer shut his door and stepped up onto the sidewalk. “Now why do I find that incredibly hard to believe?” They smiled at each other and made their way inside.

       When they got into the Hub, Loki noticed there was a colorful sign on the bar near where Ianto made drinks. He went over to see what it said, waiting for Lucifer to go on duty before he ordered his drink. The sign read:

       

       THIS FRIDAY IS OPEN MIC NIGHT

       SIGN UP NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT

       PLEASE CLEAR CONTENT WITH MANAGEMENT

       THIS IS A FAMILY-FRIENDLY NIGHT

       SEE IANTO BEHIND THE BAR TO SIGN UP

       (NO, WE STILL DO NOT SERVE ALCOHOL ON THIS NIGHT, STOP ASKING)

       

       “Open mic night?” Loki inquired, Ianto looked up from making a foamy latte and smiled, pulling a clipboard out from behind the counter and setting it on the bartop. The clipboard already had a handful of names filling in the lines on the paper. Ianto watched him as Loki contemplated.

       “You should sign up. It’s always a lot of fun.”

       “I am afraid I would not know what to do,” Loki confessed.

       “I’m sure you could come up with something.” When Loki still looked hesitant, Ianto smoothly pushed on, “Open mic night is about free expression. A lot of people sing, some read poetry or do stand-up comedy, shadow puppets, play an instrument, freestyle, tell a story... You can do whatever you want.” Loki shook his head shyly; Ianto nodded, understanding. “At least come and watch, it’s always a blast.”

       “Will you be performing?” Loki asked, a small smile on his lips and his head tilted to the side. Ianto laughed and finished adding the perfect amount of cream to a drink.

       “I may sound hypocritical but no. Jack always sings on open mic night, but I normally don't take a slot. Someone has to make drinks, after all.”

       Loki fiddled with the string that connected the pen to the clipboard. “Does Lucifer do anything on open mic night?”

       “No, he never has at least. He usually helps me take orders.”

       “I think I’ll just watch this time. But maybe next time.” He slid the clipboard back to Ianto who nodded and stashed it back under the bar.

       “Well, we have it the first Friday of every month and you know where to find us.”

       Loki smiled and patted the counter top before going back around to get in line for a drink.

       “Gonna try something new today?” Lucifer asked him when he reached the front.

       Loki tapped a finger to his lips and scanned the menu for drinks he hadn’t sampled yet. “How about a Vortex Rift?”

       “Sure.” Lucifer rung him up and passed the order on to Ianto. “Go watch him make it; it’s pretty cool.”

       Loki wandered back over to the bar and sat down on one of the barstools and watched Ianto work. When he was done with the espresso, he set the cup down on the counter and went to pour the milk. He filled it to the top, leaving a white spot in the middle of the creamy, brown espresso. Loki looked on, wondering what Lucifer found so fascinating about Ianto pouring milk. After the milk, he took out a little bottle of chocolate sauce and made two rings, one around the white spot and one encompassing both. Then, with a coffee stirrer, he poked and prodded and twirled the foam until Loki was looking at some sort of spiral galaxy sitting atop his latte.

       “Whoa. How did you...?”

       “Practice,” Ianto replied, pushing the drink across the counter. “And a lot of fiddling.”

       “I almost don’t want to drink it.”

       Ianto laughed. “Well, relish it while it lasts. It tends to fade quickly anyway.”

       “Thanks.” Loki turned to go and almost collided with the red-haired girl Billy had been gushing over the other day.

       “Oh, sorry!” she said, taking a step back. “I guess I wasn’t really looking where I was going.”

       Loki managed to keep from spilling his latte and regained his composure. “It’s alright. I didn’t exactly look both ways myself.” He caught a glimpse of Billy over her shoulder, glaring at him intensely.

       She smiled and excused herself, edging around Loki to get to Ianto. Loki heard her mention open mic night before her voice blended in with the rest of the noise in the Hub.

       “What did she say to you?” Billy asked, before Loki could even take his seat.

       “She almost bumped into me; she just said ‘sorry.’”

       “So she didn’t mention her name?”

       “No. Besides, that would be cheating, right?”

       “Yeah, you can’t hire other people to do your flirting for you,” Jack added.

       “Asking her name isn’t flirting,” Billy protested.

       “It is if you do it right,” Jack said, quirking his eyebrows.

       Billy ignored him and went back to watching the girl. She and Ianto were chatting casually and he pulled out the clipboard. Billy’s eyes went wide as he watched her hunch over the counter and sign her name, giving Ianto a smile as she finished and made her way out of the shop.

       The moment the door shut behind her, Billy launched out of his chair and sped up to the bar. “Hey, can I see that clipboard?”

       Ianto raised an eyebrow. “What for? Do you want to sign up?”

       “No, just let me see it.”

       “Sorry, I only get the clipboard out for people who are signing up for Friday. Owner-customer confidentiality.”

       “What? That’s ridiculous. That’s only for doctors and therapists and whatever. And anyway, anyone who signs up can see the other names. How is that confidential?”

       Ianto shrugged. “My restaurant, my rules.”

       Billy groaned and put his hands over his face. Jack and Ianto shared a glance and Jack smiled into his coffee.

       “Well?” Ianto pushed.

       Billy blinked hard, one of his nervous habits. “Alright, fine. Just give me the clipboard.” Ianto smirked and pulled it out. Billy snatched it from his hands and scanned the list.

       “Penny Bradbury” he whispered, almost reverently. He chuckled to himself then dropped the clipboard and turned around, throwing his hands in the air. “Penny Bradbury!” he shouted. The entirety of the restaurant looked at him strangely and he seemed to remember where he was.

       “Hold on,” Owen interjected, both he and Lucifer stepping away from their empty queues for a moment. “He just read her name off a piece of paper? He didn’t even talk to her at all?”

       “So...who won the bet then?” Lucifer asked.

       “I don’t know about you guys,” Jack said from across the room, “but Billy’s performance on Friday is a gonna be a good enough pay out for me.”

       Ianto and Lucifer smiled in agreement but Owen grumbled and went back to his station. “I was hoping for some cash.”

       Billy still stood in the same spot, his eyes glazed over and his expression unreadable. Loki wasn’t sure if he was still reeling from finding out Penny’s name or terrified by the notion of performing. Probably both.

       “Billy? You okay?” Lucifer asked, reaching over the countertop to poke his shoulder.

       Billy shook out of his trance and pulled up his sleeve. “Oh, goodness. Look at my wrist, I gotta go.” He made a beeline for the door but Jack called him back.

       “Hey now. Don’t forget to sign the clipboard.”

       “I reserve the right to revoke your internet access here if you back out,” Ianto threatened, holding out the pen to him.

       “What? But...you just make these rules up as you go, don’t you.”

       Ianto shrugged as Billy begrudgingly signed his name. The blonde left after that, muttering about wattage and likely explosions rates as he left. Loki listened to Jack tell of a time when Kili and his brother did a juggling act for one open mic night, scooping up and tossing about anything they could get their hands on. Loki laughed at the part where the top of the salt shaker they were juggling over the crowd came off and covered the audience in salt. He glanced out the window and saw his brother's truck idling in the parking lot and quickly began packing his things away.

       “Ah, I must leave now. Thank you for the story, Jack.”

       “No problemo, Loki.” He gave the teen a mock salute. “See you tomorrow!”

* * *

       Thor glanced over at his brother, his hand moving in steady circles as he dried the plate he was holding. Loki was staring absently into the sudsy water of the sink with a small smile on his lips, washing their dinner dishes without really noticing what he was doing and passing them to Thor to be dried. Thor returned his gaze to the plate, making sure it was all dry before placing it on the stack of other clean plates in the cupboard and reaching for the glass Loki offered him.

       “ _(Are you feeling well, brother?)_ ”

       Loki flinched, broken from his daydream. He looked at Thor with wide eyes, surprised at the interruption. Thor was smiling down at the cup he was carefully drying, the glass cradled in his big hands. Loki tipped his head in confusion.

       “ _(Yes, I am feeling fine. Why do you ask?)_ ”

       Thor looked at him with a broad grin, setting the glass down on the counter so he could poke both of Loki’s cheeks with his forefingers as he said, “ _(You have been smiling quite a lot lately; I was wondering if you were sick or had finally gone insane.)_ ”

       Loki gave him an incredulous look, then burst into laughter. Thor joined him after a few seconds, his booming laugh complementing Loki's softer and higher sounds. After a few minutes, they got their breaths back under control, though they were both still smiling.

       " _(So, what is it that has you so happy?)_ "

       " _(Oh, that’s right, I forgot to tell you. I'm going to a friend’s house after school tomorrow, so you won't need to pick me up after detention.)_ "

       They resumed washing the dishes, Thor gazing curiously but happily at his brother. " _(A friend’s house?)_ "

       " _(Is it such a surprise that I have made a few friends?)_ " Loki scrunched up his nose when an errant splash sent suds flying at his face. Thor's smile just stretched broader and he clapped a warm hand on Loki's shoulder.

       " _(Of course not, brother, I am glad you have found someone to share a bond with with here.)_ " Loki did his best not to blush, furiously scrubbing the side of a knife. " _(What is your friend's name? What will you be doing there?)_ "

       " _(Is that really any of your business?)_ "

       Thor gave him an amused look as he took the handful of silverware from Loki. " _(I am your older brother, of course it is my business.)_ " That got a smile from the younger man and Thor gently bumped him with his shoulders. " _(Well?)_ "

       Loki sighed, but he was still smiling, so Thor took that as a good sign. " _(I'm going to Lilith’s house to watch movies. Lucifer, the boy I'm in detention with, is taking me. You met them both at the festival, remember?)_ "

       Thor nodded, putting away the last of the dishes while Loki pulled the plug to drain the sink. " _(Ah, the boy who had the children. I remember him. How late will you be out?)_ "

       Loki have him a look from the corner of his eyes. " _(You are being awfully nosy tonight. Get your own social life.)_ "

       Thor boomed in laughter again and slapped Loki on the back, rocking him forward into the edge if the sink. " _( I am merely looking out for you, brother, but I will not pry any further. Be sure to inform mother, though, you know how she worries.) _"__

       Loki rolled his eyes as he wiped his hands on a cloth, but his eyes still held a happy light Thor had not seen much of since their move to America, and even some time before that. " _(I will, don't fret.)_ " He tensed for a moment as Thor embraced him from the side, but he relaxed into the hold.

       " _(I am glad you have made these friends, though, Loki, I really am. I like to see you happy, and you have been so much happier since meeting them. I am glad I got to meet them, though I wish to know them better than our brief encounter allowed, so I may know those who make the light in your eyes shine so brightly. Enjoy your movie.)_ ”

       Loki flushed a little, but patted Thor’s arm as best as he could with his arms pinned to his sides. With a final squeeze, Thor let him go and went to join his father in the living room, watching some nature documentary on the public broadcasting network channel. Loki finished clearing the sink, spoke briefly with Frigga about going to Lilith’s house, then went to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support!! 
> 
> Though she did not directly help on this particular chapter, I would like to take this space to thank [Sha ](http://sha-of-procrastination.tumblr.com/) for all her continued assistance with all things Norwegian and for putting up with all my questions. She has been a super help in makingthings feel authentically Norwegian in all the right spots and has inspired new ideas for this story through the information she has provided me. <3 <3 I will again thank her on the chapters where we use information she gave me.


	18. Day 16: At Least Out Loud

_Thursday, DAY 16_

       "Loki will be joining us for movie night tonight," Lucifer casually mentioned to Lilith during lunch. She smirked.

       "I know."

       "How the hell do you know? I haven't mentioned it to anyone but him!"

       Lilith glanced up, a glint in her pale green eyes. "A girl has her ways. I already know what movie we're going to watch, too."

       "Hey, we always vote!"

       "Not tonight. As it is Loki’s first movie night, I chose the perfect movie to start him off."

       "I have a sudden sense of dread. What did you choose?"

       Lilith gave him a knowing smile, tucking her phone into her pocket. "You'll find out." The bell rang, signaling the end of the period. "Well, that's my cue. See you after school!"

       Lilith gathered her things and left. Lucifer stared after her for a few moments, jaw dropped open slightly. He had to run to make it to his class on time, a strange mix of trepidation and anticipation coiling in his mind.

       Lucifer had trouble focusing on his classwork the rest of the afternoon. As usual, Lilith had an uncanny ability to speak a couple words offhandedly and have them hit him like a ton of bricks. He never understood how she managed to stay so up to date with information and know everything that happened to him, a lot of the time before he did. But, by now, he was almost used to it and just let it happen. It was her comment about the movie that was plaguing him. Since it was Lilith, he knew whatever she had in mind was going to spell trouble. But for the life of him he couldn’t think of what movie she could pick that would embarrass him. Because, honestly, what else would she be aiming to do. He was sure she had plenty of options but nothing was coming to mind.

       Sitting in the back of his Algebra III class, he struggled to keep from faceplanting into his textbook in resignation; Ms. Noble wasn’t one to tolerate people slacking off in her class. But at the moment, that’s exactly what he felt like doing. Lilith was a great friend but sometimes he thought the mental stress of keeping up with her wasn’t worth it.

 

       On his way to detention, Loki noticed a senior boy who was in his Individual Sports class was talking to an underclassman across the common area. Actually...it looked more like he was harassing him. What was his name, Dirk? Yes, Dirk, the boy who always played a little too rough, not caring if someone got hurt if it meant he won. The pimply-faced senior had crowded a younger boy against the wall, his two much more burly friends flanking him and offering the teen no escape. Loki couldn’t hear what was being said but it was obviously not nice. The Norwegian frowned, but the bell rang and everyone dispersed to their classes before anything further happened. Loki didn’t like those who used force to solve their problems when being clever could find the solution in a more elegant, less brutish way than fists. Dirk was a classic bully, mean and strong, and liked seeing younger kids cower before him. Though no violence had been enacted that he could directly see, such a brutish show of force made him wrinkle his nose in distaste. But he shut his eyes and shook his head, dismissing the event from his mind before it could spoil his day. It wasn’t like he could, or would, help that boy, there was nothing he could do to change that. But he would steer clear of Dirk as much as possible in the future, since he would go after anyone even remotely different from himself and Loki had been picked on enough when he was back in Norway.

 

       Loki and Lucifer sat together in detention as Ms. Pond read over her book. They didn’t speak to each other; while Ms. Pond was nice enough, she could get quite abrasive when the rules were broken. For instance, now she slammed her book down and stormed out into the hallway as a blaring noise interrupted the quiet of the detention period.

       Loki and Lucifer exchanged glances as she stomped out of the room. Loki looked pained and covered his ears, trying futilely to block out the wailing alarm.

       “Need those headphones again?” Lucifer joked. Loki let out a huff and retreated into his shirt, bunching the fabric around his ears.

       Ms. Pond came whipping around the door frame, her long, red hair flying after her. “Fire alarm, boys. Apparently the real deal. Just get out of here; I’ll tell ‘em you escaped in the commotion.”

       Loki and Lucifer looked at each other again and then made a dash for the door, taking the invitation while it still stood.

       With the relatively open floor plan of the school, it only took a quick glance around to determine where the smoke was originating from. Luckily, the parking lot was in the opposite direction and the two of them made a beeline for Lucifer’s car. Loki let out a relieved breath when they collapsed into the seats.

       “Well,” Lucifer said, sliding the keys into the ignition, “good thing we didn’t burn to death in detention. I would have hated for that to have been my last memory.”

       “I’m just glad to get that ringing out of my ears. And I don’t know, there are probably lonelier ways to go.”

       Lucifer forced himself to not look away and held Loki’s gaze for a few seconds. He watched the corner of his mouth climb up in that smug little smile of his and he found himself reciprocating.

       The rumble of the engine finally made him turn away and they pulled out of the parking lot. The short drive to the Hub was occupied by small talk and the conversation returned to the Milton vineyard. He was surprised to find how easy it was to talk to Loki about something like that. His past was something he kept closely guarded so it was unnerving when the words just cascaded out of his mouth without a second thought. With Lilith it was different; they’d known each other for so long that she was a like a sister. He told her things because it felt wrong to keep them from her; it was like he was obligated. But with Loki, he felt…almost privileged to share his story. He told him things because he wanted to and because it felt good. He’d never had a friend like that before.

       When they arrived at the Hub, Ianto looked up at them quizzically. “You’re quite early.”

       “Someone tried to burn the school down,” Lucifer said, taking off his jacket.

       “Oh, how lovely.”

       “It wasn’t us, if you were wondering,” he added, smiling.

       “Of course not. You still have a while before your shift. Have a drink, sit down.”

       “Gladly.”

       Lucifer followed Loki over to Jack and Billy’s table and pulled up an extra chair. He spun it around so he could rest his arms on the back.

       Loki appreciated how Lucifer’s demeanor changed completely when he was in the Hub. He visibly relaxed and he smiled much more. At school he was very closed and shielded and he suspected this was even true at the Milton house. But here it was a completely different atmosphere. He was open and happy and a little bit snarky, a trait which Loki never failed to be amused by.

       “Afternoon, fellas,” Jack greeted. Loki and Lucifer returned the welcome but Billy was silent. His laptop was closed and he rested his head on it, with his hood thrown up so his face was hidden.

       “Billy?” Lucifer asked, prodding his shoulder. The lump just moaned.

       Jack chuckled. “He’s slightly anxious about his debut tomorrow.”

       “Do you have any idea what you’re going to do?” Loki inquired.

       “Maybe you should sing a song about the laundromat and then Penny will know you and her are kindred spirits,” Lucifer offered.

       “Or what about those magic tricks you were showing me the other day? Didn’t you say they were great for picking up women?” Loki added.

       “I think that was hypothetical,” Lucifer said and he and Loki grinned at each other when Billy whimpered. “I mean, really. Billy’s history with women isn’t exactly legendary.”

       “Now now, boys, let’s not ridicule the poor man,” Jack intervened, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “I’m sure we can come up with something for Billy to do tomorrow that lends itself to his skill set.”

       “And what exactly does that include?”

       Jack opened his mouth to start listing things off but stopped and looked at a loss for words. He tapped his index finger like he was on the brink of an idea but gave up and sat back in his chair. “Well…”

       Billy lifted his head up and propped his chin in his hands. “Don’t sugar coat it, guys. But let’s face it. I’m not good at anything.”

       “I’m sure that’s not true,” Loki said, hoping his voice conveyed some semblance of comfort and inspiration instead of pity. “We just have to…think harder is all.”

       Billy gave him a disbelieving look but didn’t protest. The four of them spent the next half an hour brainstorming ideas until Lucifer left to start his shift. They continued trading ideas across the restaurant and some people who weren’t even part of the original conversation began offering ideas.

       Even though the town wasn’t so small that everyone knew everyone, it was small enough that the local dynamic was still warm and inviting. People were friendly and conversational, even if you’d never met before. So no one seemed surprised when all twenty-something people in the restaurant joined in on the effort to bolster Billy’s confidence. Loki enjoyed the atmosphere and understood completely why Lucifer was different here.

       At the end of his shift, Lucifer disappeared into the kitchen to grab his jacket, then came back out and waved for Loki to come along. Loki gathered up his own things and wished Billy good luck before following Lucifer out the door.

       The drive to Lilith’s house took no more than six minutes, and when they pulled into her driveway, Lucifer turned the car off but didn’t immediately move to get out. Loki scrunched his eyebrows in concern. “Is something the matter?”

       “Uh…not exactly. I just kind of wanted to apologize in advance for anything Lilith decides to pull tonight. I mean, you know how she is. She can be…crafty and I just have this feeling that something’s going to go wrong.”

       Loki’s concern turned to laughter in a matter of seconds. “I appreciate the thought, Lucifer. But I’m sure it’ll be fine. I think you worry too much, for my sake and yours. Now come on, we don’t want to be late.” He got out of the car, leaving a dazed Lucifer still seated.

       Lucifer cursed his tendency to assign more meaning to Loki’s words than intended but it took over again all the same. Did he worry too much? Of course he did. His life was a constant string of worries. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time in which he wasn’t worried about something. But what about the second half? “For my sake and yours.” Did it mean he worried too much about Loki and too much about himself separately but in equal amounts? Or that he worried about both of their sakes together? Was there even much of a difference? Did Loki know that he thought about them as a couple? Did Loki do the same? Of course, Lucifer would never admit that he did, out loud anyway. He was always weighing the pros and cons, trying to predict outcomes of certain actions, playing out different scenarios in his head and wondering if it could possibly work out. He supposed whatever way Loki meant, he worried too much just the same. In the span of a few seconds, Lucifer’s brain took him in a hundred different directions and he tried to derail his runaway train of thought and reroute back to the situation at hand. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he got out of the car and took a deep breath to regain his composure. He gestured for Loki to follow and he led them up the walkway to Lilith’s front door.

       A duet of yapping barks greeted them after Lucifer knocked four times. He grinned as Loki curiously tipped his head. A muffled ‘be right there’ came from inside. The yaps changed tone and Lilith opened the door, pushing back two large, fluffy dogs.

       “Hey, welcome, come on in! Get back, you fluffballs!” Lilith herded her dogs back enough for the boys to get in. Loki knelt once the door was closed and welcomed the sniffing dogs with a wide smile.

       “It seems they like you, Loki.”

       “They kind of remind me of Fenrir, only smaller and much, much fluffier. What breed are they?” He buried his hands in the thick fur, the dogs giddily sniffing and licking his arms.

       “Chow Chows. The big black one is Azazel, the shorter reddish brown one is Alastair. Where is…ah!” A sharp bark interrupted her and a smaller yet equally fluffy white dog waddled into the room, an odd air of authority around him. The other dogs went to him, sniffing and wagging their tails. “This is Crowley, my Pomeranian. Crowley, come say hello to Loki. You know Lucifer already.” The dog eyed Loki suspiciously, sniffing him all over. Loki just looked amused. Once the smallest dog was satisfied, he yapped again and the Chow Chows returned to licking Loki’s hands, tails wagging hard enough to shake their whole bodies.

       “Crowley thinks he’s king of the castle,” Lucifer explained with a chuckle, stepping over Azazel to hang up his coat on the wall hook. Loki stripped off his jacket when his arms weren’t full of pooches, handing it to him.

       “It’s true, the other two just follow his lead. He’s the brains, they’re the fluff.” Lilith gave each dog a pet, then stood up and shooed them away from Loki so he could set his stuff down. “My parents are out doing a job, so we have the house to ourselves, plus the dogs. I’ve got some snacks made, and the movie is all ready to go.”

       Loki followed her and Lucifer into the living room, a warm yet classy, modern-looking room. “I thought we were going to vote on a movie?”

       Lilith snorted, then smiled kindly. “This is your first movie night, so I figured we’d start with the first movie Lucifer and I watched at an ‘official’ movie night.” She held up the DVD case with a flourish. “A Disney classic. Hercules.”

       Lucifer gave Lilith a cautious look. He knew that there was an ulterior motive, some reason beyond sentiment that she had chosen this movie.

       Loki gazed at the colorful cover with joy. “I haven’t seen this movie since I was a kid!”

       Lucifer was surprised. “You’ve seen it before?”

       “Yeah, lots of times. I grew up watching Disney films.”

       “I didn’t know that, um....” Lucifer shifted on his feet, suddenly uncomfortable with how little he knew about Loki’s birth country and how much he had assumed he knew. Loki finished for him with a small laugh.

       “That Norway got Disney movies? Usually new ones come out in cinemas a few months later than in the US, but we do get them. And DVDs and Bluray have the English version as well, which is awesome. I remember when I was a little kid, my neighbor had an English VHS of The Lion King, which was the coolest thing ever. Back then it was harder to get the English VHS tapes, and the Norwegian dubs just weren’t the same.”

       “...Oh.”

       Loki plopped on the sofa with a chuckle, still holding the DVD case. “When we did our unit on Grecian gods and myths, my teacher made it very clear that this movie was nearly the opposite of mythologically accuracy. There was one girl who was convinced that the ancient gods sparkled, and argued that unless my teacher had personally seen them, she could believe whatever she wanted. _That_ was an interesting discussion.”

       “Yeah, our teachers usually make that point, too,” Lilith said, handing him a plate of homemade granola bars smothered in chocolate. “The inaccurate part, not the sparkling bit.” As Lilith went back to the kitchen, Azazel trotted over to the couch and rested his head on Loki’s knee, looking pleadingly between his face and the plate. Loki raised an elegant eyebrow.

       “Pleading puppy eyes have not worked on me in years. Fenrir can’t get away with it, and neither can you. Chocolate is bad for dogs anyway.” Azazel whimpered and licked his chops, staring at the food. Loki laughed and placed it on the back of the couch, holding the plate steady while he ruffled the Chow Chow’s furry head. “No, Azazel. No chocolate granola bars.”

       Alistair was trying to beg food from Lucifer, who was even more immune to his doggy charms than Loki was. “Alistair, you know people food makes you fat. And none of us want to deal with you on a diet again.”

       The brown Chow Chow whined pitifully, but Lucifer just bopped his nose. Azazel pushed his head into Loki’s hand, nipping playfully at his fingers before he jumped up onto the couch. He walked onto Loki’s lap, licking at his face.

       “Azazel, please get down, Aza--” He sputtered as the dog’s tongue lapped over his mouth. Lucifer laughed, before the sound was interrupted by a growling bark from Crowley. He turned his head to see the back-end of the fluffy dog sticking out of Loki’s open backpack. His attempts to get up to stop him were thwarted by Alistair placing his paws on Lucifer’s knees, effectively blocking the teen from getting up. He tipped his head back and called out to Lilith, who was getting out a veggie tray in the kitchen.

       “Lillith, call of the hounds. They’re ganging up on us. Alistair, heel!" The big dog whined and backed off, but pressed close again when Lucifer tried to get up. Crowley was almost literally digging through Loki's stuff, pulling out books and binders to give them a thorough inspection. "Azazel, get off Loki! Down, Azazel." The black dog gave him an annoyed expression, pausing in his quest for food, then promptly ignore him and went back to climbing on Loki. "Lilith, they won't listen to me!"

       "They just don't respect you anymore, Luci, not after the squeaky toy incident." She came into the room and whistled sharply. The Chow Chows immediately went to her, tongues lolled out as they panted and circled her legs. Crowley was ignoring her, still in Loki's bag. Lilith caught Azazel and Alistair's collars.

       "You two can go wait in the kitchen while I deal with these bad boys."

       Loki wiped off his mouth and laughed, standing up. He took the tray with him, Azazel's eyes following his moves. Lucifer followed him into the kitchen and went to the fridge, pulling out a root beer for himself and offering one to Loki. The Norwegian nodded in thanks and popped the cap off the glass bottle. They stood there in almost-awkward silence for a few seconds as they sipped their sodas. Lucifer cleared his throat, looking down at his drink rather than at Loki.

        “So...you mentioned earlier that the Chows reminded you of Fenereer,” his tongue tripped over the foreign syllables. Loki smiled and gently corrected him.

        “Fenrir.”

        “Right, that. What is a Fenrier?”

        “Fenrir is my dog. I’ve had him since I was eight. He was a birthday present from my mom.”

       “Wait, you have a dog? You never mentioned that before.”

       “You never asked, Lucifer.”

       “What breed is he?” Lucifer asked, putting a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

       “Irish Wolfhound. He’s huge, but he’s a sweet dog.”

       “You should bring him to the dog park Lilith takes her dogs to. I’m no expert, but I’m sure he’d like to socialize with some other dogs.”

       Loki smiled. “That’d be great. He has seemed a bit bored on walks recently…”

       They heard Lilith's voice from the living room and the sound of the back door opening.

       “Alright, you hellhounds, get out of here! Outside, the lot of you! Get out of Loki’s backpack, Crowley, I swear--no, you fluffbutt, you bring that notebook back right now! I am going to turn you into a pillow, you scheming little brat!” A moment later, an indignant yip. “Ah-HA! Gotcha now!” More angry yapping. “I don’t care, Crowley, you are being a fucking diva. Just because Loki brought his bag into your territory does not mean it is yours!” The back door slammed. Lilith came into the kitchen only slightly out of breath. “Well, _that_ was exciting. Sorry.”

       Loki grinned, leaning against the counter as Lilith got out a glass of water. “I understand, Fenrir got into everything when he was a pup.”

       “Fenear is your dog?” she asked, watching the popcorn bag expand.

       “Yes, Fenrir is my Irish Wolfhound. I’m sure he’d love to meet your dogs.”

       Lilith gave him an amused smile. “I’m pretty sure Crowley is as big as an Irish Wolfhound’s head, those guys are huge.”

       Loki’s laughter had a cool and airy tone to it, the throaty sound filling the room. Lucifer found himself smiling in response to the sound. “I don’t think he’s quite that big.”

       The microwave beeped and Lilith put the popcorn in a bowl. They moved back into the living room, now dog-free. She turned on the TV, where the menu screen to Hercules was already waiting. They settled on the couch, Lilith between the boys, and she used a remote to dim the lights. She pressed play and the movie began.

       Lucifer risked a look over at Loki as Hades made his entrance, judging the other boy's interest. Loki was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his thighs, a probably unconscious smile tugging up his lips. It was obvious he was enjoying the movie, the set of his shoulders relaxed. A few minutes later, Lucifer glanced over again as they laughed at the childish dialogue. The Norwegian had relaxed further into the couch, sprawled out a little more into what must be his natural sitting position, knees spread almost obscenely wide with his legs kicked out. Lucifer quickly turned his eyes back to the screen, suddenly glad Lilith separated them.

       Not knowing why Lilith had really chosen this movie made Lucifer not enjoy the beginning as much as he could have. He did relax into it and sang the parts other than those of the Muses, as Lilith had a long-standing claim on those. And not Philoctetes’s song as that one was Kili’s favorite, and they usually didn’t sing each other’s parts, even when the other wasn’t there. The laughed at all the little history jokes that were hidden in the movie that went over their heads as a kid.

       Lucifer felt an abrupt beam of insight hit him when the garden scene came on screen. He glared at Lilith while Megara not-so-subtly stuck her “weak ankle” in Hercules’s face.

       ‘ _No_ ,’ he mouthed at her.

       ‘ _Oh, yes_ ,’ she mouthed back with a wide grin.

       He seethed and slumped lower into the couch while Phil interrupted the romantic moment. He knew what song was coming up next, and knew what meanings Lilith would put behind the words.

       “Hey, Lucifer, you sing Meg’s part!” Lilith cheered.

       “No,” was the sullen reply.

       “Aw, c’mon! Don’t make me sing alone. And you sing her parts so weeeeeeell.”

       “No.”

       “Why not?” Loki asked, tearing his eyes away from the goodnights happening on screen to peer at him from around Lilith. “You’ve been singing the other songs, why not this one?”

       “Um, it’s a girl part?”

       “Lucifer, this is the 21st century!” Lilith admonished, smacking the back of his head. “Besides, you sing Ariel‘s part all the time. So, why not this song? Why won’t you sing for us, Luciloo?” She gave him a cheeky smirk and eyebrow raise.

       There was no answer Lucifer could give that wouldn’t reveal his thoughts, so instead he grumbled an agreement as the piano and flute changed melody.

       “ _If there’s a prize for rotten judgement, I guess I’ve already won that._ ” He rolled his eyes as Lilith nodded in agreement. He narrowed his eyes at her and put as much emphasis as he could in the next few lines, “ _No man is worth the aggravation. That’s ancient history,_ been there, done that.”

       Lilith gave him an almost pitying look as she sang out, “ _Who do’ya think you’re kidding, he’s the earth and heaven to ya!_ ” Luckily, Loki was watching the TV, so he didn’t see the rather obvious jerk of the head Lilith used to gesture in his direction. Lucifer felt the edges of his ears burning with embarrassment, glad Loki was enjoying the movie too much to notice how Lilith tormented him.

       Actually, Loki did notice how they were holding a silent conversation underneath singing the parts, but he figured that was how they watched movies. Lilith had been singing the parts of the Muses the whole time, with Lucifer occasionally chiming in other parts. It was obvious they knew this movie well, Lucifer was especially well-versed in most of the Hades lines, and he and Lilith would trade the witty dialogue with perfect timing.

       Though Meg didn’t put as much attitude and inflections in her song, and though their rendition was slightly changed by whatever conversation they were having through the lyrics, Loki had to admit Lucifer had a very pleasant singing voice. While Lilith’s pitches never quite matched the characters’ as she sang how she could “see right through” him, his voice never faltered in the drawn out ‘oh’s of Meg’s part.

       Lilith’s tone was teasing as she slightly drew out the “ _who you’re thiiinking ooof_ ” and added an eyebrow wiggle. Lucifer shoved her with his shoulder, practically singing through gritted teeth.

       “ _No chance, no way, I won’t say I’m in love._ ”

       “ _You swoon, you sigh, why deny it, uh-oh!_ ” She flung herself at him in a mockery of a Victorian swoon, hand pressed to her forehead. He shifted back and she fell onto his lap. She rose up with a shoulder shimmy and a wink on “uh-oh.” Loki looked over at them, amused, and Lucifer forced a smile.

       With Loki now watching them more than the movie, Lucifer felt less confident in his singing, very aware of the bright eyes watching. The next verse came out much weaker than the ones before. Lilith forced him to get more into the song though, pushing him lightly on the shoulders to get his attention back on her and the subtext she was laying on in a rather accusatory tone.

       “ _You keep on denying who you are and how you’re feeling. Baby, we’re not buying, hon, we saw you hit the ceiling. Face it like a grown-up! When ya gonna own up that you got got got it baaaad?_ ”

       Lucifer pushed her back, glaring as he sneered out the next lines. When she gave him a cheeky grin as she told him to “check your grin”, pointing to each corner of her mouth with her pointer fingers, he threw up his hands in exasperation, now more concerned about the message she was sending him than Loki’s eyes on their display.

       “ _This scene won’t play!_ ” He knew he was getting irrationally angry, but Lilith had that effect on him sometimes. And it didn’t help that he was also embarrassed to be having this, subtle as it may be, conversation in front of the subject of said conversation.

       “ _You're doin' flips, read our lips: you're in love._ ”

       “ _You're way off base, I won't say it!_ ” He snapped at her, making it clear this was not a line she could cross and he would not tolerate this any more. “ _Get_ off _my case, I won't say it!_ ”

       Her expression changed to something far more sympathetic than he was comfortable with right now, and she laid a hand on his arm, her voice more gentle. “ _Now, don't be proud. It's okay, you're in love._ ”

       Lucifer turned away from her, flustered and aggravated and all too aware of Loki’s gaze still on him. He hunched his shoulders up as high as he could make them go, urging the couch to eat him at that moment. Preferably sending him through an inter-dimensional portal to someplace he wouldn’t have to deal with these emotions. However, that didn’t seem to be happening, so he resigned himself to the current reality.

       Lucifer barely mumbled the last line, his cheeks burning hot. Lilith gleefully sang the ‘shalalala’s with fluttery eyelashes and a big dramatic sigh at the end, leaning on Lucifer in a faux swoon.

       He was tense for the rest of the movie, not even really hearing it. The sudden brightness of Lilith turning on the lights made him blink and saw the TV was back on the menu screen; he had been so lost in his own thoughts, he completely missed the end of the movie. Oh well, he knew how it ended: Herc in the stars and staying on earth with Meg, blah blah yay happy endings. He stood up and stretched his arms over his head.

       “Must’ve dozed off there at the end.”

       Lilith gave him a look that clearly stated she saw right through his bullshit but wouldn’t call him on it. “Yes, I know. You were drooling. I almost drew on you, but Loki said that would be undignified.”

       “I said no such thing. I merely remarked that he would likely be upset if you altered the state of his face, and since he is my transport, I would rather not risk his wrath,” Loki primly retorted from the kitchen, putting empty snack trays in the sink.

       “Thank you, Loki, for protecting my face, even if it was for selfish reasons.”

       Loki gave him a smirk, stooping down to pick up a piece of crumpled paper. He muttered a low, Norwegian curse as he tried to flatten out the page. His stuff was still scattered around from Crowley’s attack, so Lucifer snagged some notebooks that were by the couch. They looked like notes, though half of the words were in Norwegian. His handwriting was very elegant, even if he had no idea what the words meant.

       “Thank you.” Loki plucked the notebook out of his hand. “Don’t pry, Lucifer.”

       “Oh, please. It’s not like I could read it even if I wanted to. I’ve never seen Norwegian before.”

       “Maybe I’ll teach you sometime,” Loki casually commented as he packed his bag.

       “Really?” Lucifer paused in putting on his jacket. “Why?”

       Loki shrugs with one shoulder. “It’s not like it’s a secret or anything. It’s fine if you’re not interested, but you mentioned before--”

       “No, no, that would be...that would be really cool.” Lucifer turned to the door under the pretense of swinging his bag onto his shoulder, hiding his light blush. “So, uh, you got everything?”

       “I think so. Thank you for your hospitality, Lilith.”

       “Oh shush, you!” She lightly punched his shoulder, following them out to Lucifer’s car. Lilith leaned on the hood of the car as they put their stuff in the back.

       “So, same time next Thursday?” Lucifer gave Lilith a baffled look.

       “But, we do movie night every three weeks--”

       “Well, Loki is extremely bereft of culture, I mean he’s never even seen Rocky Horror! We must educate him if he is to survive in American society. Our schedule will not suffer if we meet every week for a movie. Is there a problem?” Lilith and Lucifer traded meaningful looks, eyebrows raising then lowering then raising and hands making short aborted gestures. Loki folded his arms on the roof of the car and watched them with a broad smile, highly amused at their continued antics. Apparently, Lilith won, for Lucifer crossed his arms and huffed. “Fine, whatever.”

       “Excellent! I’ll see you both tomorrow at school, then!”

        She gave the battered car a last pat before heading back to her door. Lucifer got in the car and buckled up, Loki followed his cue. Lilith waving at them as Lucifer backed out and drove away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!! We apologize for the enormous delay, this chapter really kicked our butts. The important, big chapters will likely take more time than all the others, so expect another wait for the next chapter.
> 
> 10,000,000 thanks to [Sha](http://shaded-mazoku.tumblr.com/) for all her help with this chapter!! <3 She gave me the information regarding Norway and Disney movies.
> 
> Thursday movie nights are a big nod to [scifigrl47](http://scifigrl47.tumblr.com/)'s FANTASTIC Toasterverse. If you haven't read her stories, GO. RIGHT NOW. They are by far my most favorite Avengers stories ever, and I just asdfghjuyklkngfbcvd. Seriously, check [her](http://archiveofourown.org/users/scifigrl47/pseuds/scifigrl47) out. You won't regret it.
> 
> Ok, that's all for today! There are going to be quite a few extras that will be posted on Tumblr in conjunction to this chapter, so make sure you check those out! Please let us know what you think, comments and keysmash are always welcome!! 


	19. Friday Morning: Three is Company

_Friday Morning_

       “Wakey, wakey!” Lucifer untangled Castiel from his blankets and poked at his roly-poly of a brother. “Gotta get up for school, kiddo.”

       Castiel whined and stretched, opening his eyes blearily. He sat up and scrubbed his face. “Do we have milk today?”

       “That is a very good question. Let’s find out, shall we?” Lucifer turned around and let Cas clamber onto his back. On their way down, they stopped by Anna’s room. Lucifer cracked the door open and the two of them leaned in. Anna was just getting out of bed.

       “I’m up, I’m up,” she said, anticipating Lucifer’s wake up call.

       “Actually, one of the buildings caught on fire yesterday so they called school today.”

       Anna stood still and stared at him for a moment, trying to discern if he was joking or not. “Are you…being serious?”

       “Yeah, I got out of detention yesterday because of it. I’ll take Cas to school. You can sleep in if you want to.”

       She let out a huge breath and flopped back into bed. “Thank the lord.”

       Lucifer chuckled and shut the door again. He and Cas descended the stairs into the living room and found Uriel asleep on the couch.

       “Hey!” Lucifer said, not quite shouting but loud enough to wake him.

        Uriel snorted awake and looked around for the disturbance.

       “You know, when your alarm goes off it means ‘wake up’ not ‘relocate.’”

       Uriel groaned and rolled off the couch. He shambled up the stairs and back to his room. To get dressed and not go back to sleep, Lucifer hoped. But there was only so much he could do. If Uriel wanted to be a rebellious little shit, let Michael deal with it. He liked being in charge.

       Lucifer carried Cas in to the kitchen and dropped him off on the island. Stopping at the fridge, he whirled around and looked at Castiel with big eyes. “Moment of truth. Drum roll, please.”

       Cas banged on the counter, grinning. Lucifer opened the fridge door slowly with an exaggerated grimace. He pulled out a carton of milk with less than a third of its contents left and held it up over his head like it was a gift from the gods.

       “Hooray!” Cas cheered and clapped his hands. Lucifer made a peanut butter bagel for Cas to eat and poured them both a glass of milk with what was left in the carton. They clinked glasses and drank slowly, savoring it as long as they could.

       “Where does it all go, I wonder?” Lucifer pondered. “I mean, you and I certainly don’t drink that much, ‘cause it’s never there. How do the others drink it so fast?”

       “Maybe they hide it.”

       “Or maybe…we have a milk thief.” Lucifer looked around in a panic and Cas laughed. The littlest brother offered his older brother a bite of bagel, which he took.

       “Thanks,” he said, his voice muffled by the bread in his mouth. When they were done, Lucifer sent Castiel up to get dressed and brush his teeth and then went downstairs to do the same. In his room, he picked his phone up off his desk and checked for messages. Just one from Lilith: _Who’s the one who tried to burn down the school? I want to send them a fruit basket_

       He laughed and sent a reply: _No idea, I thought you would since you seem to know everything_

       When the reply came a few minutes later, it was about as he expected. _Okay so apparently the official reason is ‘kitchen mishap’ but I don’t buy it. I bet it was that weird kid from science class. I always thought he seemed like a pyromaniac_

        _I think he’s just accident prone. And where the hell do you get your information?_

        _There are things you don’t know about me, Lucifer. Secret things._

       Lucifer put his toothbrush away and closed the medicine cabinet before he texted Lilith back. _Hey, speaking of secrets, don’t think I’m just gonna get over that Hercules bullshit. You’re in for it._

        _Yeah whatever. I did you a favor so you should be thanking me. So anyway, no school, what do you wanna do today?_

        _Ughhhhh, sometimes I just can’t with you_

        _But you’ll neeevvveerr leave me, mwahaha. But seriously, we need to do something. My dad has the day off and I am not sitting around the house with him all day_

        _I gotta take Cas to school and then I don’t care_

        _You should invite Loki to walk dogs in the park, I’m dying to see how big Crowley is next to Fenenener or whatever his foreign dog is named_

        _Uhh, okay, I guess_

        _Good, I’ll meet you guys by the elementary school at 9._

        _Fine_

       Lucifer stowed his phone in his pocket and took the stairs up three at a time. Cas already had his jacket on and was pulling his boots on as well. While waiting for Castiel to get suited up, Lucifer composed a message to Loki: _Hey, with school out I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go dog walking with me and Lilith? Around 9?_

       As he sent the text, Cas stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder and began to walk out the front door.

       “Hold it, there. We’re going out through the garage.”

       “We’re driving? But my school is just down the road.”

       Lucifer put an arm around Castiel’s shoulder. “Hey, I’m giving you a free ride right now. You gonna pass that up?”

       Cas shook his head and they stepped out into the garage. Cas climbed in the back and Lucifer the front. The text message notification pinged so Lucifer checked his phone one more time before they left. It was from Loki: _Sounds great! See you there._

       He smiled to himself and stuck his phone in the cup holder before backing out and heading to Cas’s school. “Should we pick up Dean?”

       Cas looked confused. “But Dean lives—“

       “Hush, it’ll be fun.” They came to a stop in front of Dean’s house on the corner of the road and found him waiting by the curb, looking down the lane for Castiel and Anna like usual and didn’t notice Lucifer’s car.

       Castiel rolled down his window and poked his head out, grinning. “Dean! Wanna ride?”

       The boy looked completely baffled but slowly approached the vehicle. “Come on, Dean, don’t be shy,” Lucifer encouraged, waiting for Dean to get in the car.

       “Why are you driving?” Dean asked, his eyebrows creased.

       “Just felt like it today.” Lucifer let his foot of the brake and let the car roll forward twenty feet before stopping again. “Well, here we are.” The boys in the back shared a look and burst out laughing, before crawling out of the car to get to the elementary school directly across the street from Dean’s house. They both turned and waved on their way up to the door and Cas called out a goodbye.

       Lucifer returned the gesture and pulled forward to the empty lot next to the school. There was still another half hour before they had agreed to meet but he had nothing else to so he sat in his car and listened to the radio. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Loki and Fenrir coming across the lot.

       Loki rapped on the driver’s window and Lucifer was startled out of his reverie. “Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed, switching off the radio.

       “Nope, just me,” Loki replied, backing up to give Lucifer room to get out of the car. As soon as Lucifer stepped out, Fenrir was all over him. The huge wolfhound reared up and put his front paws on Lucifer’s shoulders, who staggered back under the unexpected weight. The dog barked and sniffed him over but made no move to attack or harm him in any way.

       “Whoa, he really is a gentle giant, huh?”

       “Most of the time.” Loki smiled mischievously. “He can be mean if he needs to. One time some of my cousins were messing with him and he bit one of their hands. He just got what was coming to him. But usually he’s just a big softy.” Loki pulled him down and rubbed Fenrir’s ears.

       Another car pulled up next to Lucifer’s and the boys saw Lilith in the front seat. The back window was obscured by a wall of fur and they could hear a muffled chorus of barking. Lilith got out of the car with Crowley under her arm and passed him over to Lucifer to hold while she secured the other two.

       “Good morning, your highness,” Lucifer greeted Crowley, scratching under his chin. The Pomeranian looked up at him with an expression that was thoroughly not amused. “Alright, sorry. Why can’t we be friends, man?”

       Loki laughed and wrapped Fenrir’s leash around his hand to keep him closer with all the new dogs being introduced. Once Lilith succeeded in corralling Alastair and Azazel out of the car and into their leashes she went back to Lucifer. “Here, you take Dumb and Dumber; Crowley doesn’t like you.”

       They traded off and Lilith set Crowley on the ground. The four dogs set to examining each other, Fenrir towering over Crowley and even the two Chow Chows. Alastair and Azazel took Fenrir in stride, sniffing him for a moment before returning to mind their own business. Crowley went on the defensive immediately and growled at Fenrir.

       “Oh, stop it before you embarrass yourself, Crowley,” Lilith said, tugging on his leash to warn him. Crowley ignored her and made a lunge toward one of Fenrir’s legs. The larger dog stepped back, surprised at first, then lifted a paw and swatted Crowley’s head. The little dog let out an undignified yelp and scurried back toward Lilith.

       “Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Loki apologized, reeling Fenrir back, but Lilith burst out laughing. Lucifer tried to contain himself but her laughter was contagious.

       “Don’t worry,” she said after catching her breath, “he deserved it. He only bruised his ego. But anyways, you weren’t lying. That is one big damn dog.”

       Loki patted Fenrir’s back. “He was a small puppy so we had no idea he’d grow up to be this huge. He’s big even for his breed.”

       “I’ll say. So, do you guys mind if we make a quick stop on our way to the park? Say yes, because I’m stopping anyway,” she said. Both boys shrugged. “Good, shall we be on our way?”

       “Where are we going? I haven’t ventured out much, I don’t know a lot about the neighborhood,” Loki confessed.

       Lilith locked her car and dropped her keys into her shoulder bag. “We usually go to this park about a ten minute walk from here but we’re going to have to take a slight detour.”

       “Alright. Lead on.”

       The three of them crossed the street and let Lilith lead them toward their destination. The dogs weaved amongst one another and they had to stop several times to untangle leashes. Crowley was careful to avoid Fenrir, keeping to his own side of the sidewalk and tensing up anytime the wolfhound trotted by.

       Lucifer was praying to whoever was listening for there not to be some sort of 101 Dalmatians moment where the dogs circled him and Loki, trapping them in a leash net. It was hard enough keeping his cool with Loki in the same room let alone having him pressed up against him, unable to pull away.

       They turned down a side street and Lucifer realized where they were going. “Why are we going here?”

       “I gotta drop something off.” She handed Crowley’s leash to Lucifer as they stepped up onto the porch of the house at the end of the road. After knocking on the door, she pulled an envelope and small box from her bag.

       A few seconds passed and a blonde boy, not much older than the three of them, opened the door, greeting them with a smile.

       “Hello, Lilith, Lucifer, and…I don’t think I know you.”

       “This is Loki,” Lilith explained. “He moved here from Norway a few months ago.”

       “Cool.” The boy stuck out his hand and Loki shook it. “Fillip Mitchell, at your service. But you can call me Fili.”

       “Nice to meet you.”

       “Wonderful, everyone’s getting along. Listen, can you put this in the next care package you send to Kili?” Lilith said, holding out her box and the envelope.

       Fili took it and turned it over in his hands. “Yeah, no problem. Can I ask what it is?”

       “Nope.” Lilith waved and sauntered down the porch, towing Crowley after her.

       “Uh…well, see you later, I guess,” Lucifer said as he was being tugged along by Alastair and Azazel trying to follow their leader.

       Fili gave them a nod and said goodbye before shutting the front door.

       Loki let Lucifer get a few steps ahead before going down the steps with Fenrir.

       He hadn’t personally met Kili, but he’d heard both Lilith and Lucifer mention him a handful of times. From what he had gathered, Kili was a friendly, fun-loving guy but wasn’t exactly quick on the uptake. But it also seemed that Kili was a rather endearing fellow and Loki was excited to meet him once he got back from Ireland in December.

       Meanwhile, Lucifer was pestering Lilith about her delivery as they cut through some yards to get back on the main road. “Oh, come on. What’s in the box?”

       “Well, Brad Pitt, it’s not Gwyneth Paltrow’s head,” she said. “It is, however, none of your business.”

       “Neither is half the stuff I do but you seem to know it anyway”

       “So why don’t you use your resources and figure it out for yourself?”

       “Because I don’t run some top secret underground information network like you do apparently.”

       Loki walked a few paces behind, smiling to himself as he listened to their banter. Even though he wasn’t actively participating in the conversation, he liked that they felt comfortable enough to act like themselves around him. There was no polite pretense or any pretending they were anyone different than who they really were. He had a feeling he was part of this gang whether he liked it or not. But he did like it, he liked it very much.

       “I can just ask Kili when he gets it. I bet he’d tell me,” Lucifer was saying.

       “Not if I ask him not to. Why does it matter to you anyway?”

       Lucifer narrowed his eyes and inspected her for a moment before a grin broke out on his face. “You’re getting all defensive. You’re embarrassed! Did you send him a love letter? A lock of your hair?”

       “Shut the fuck up, Lucifer,” she said, scoffing. She rolled her eyes like he was being ridiculous but Loki thought he saw her cheeks turn just the slightest bit pink.

       Lucifer laughed and started singing: “Lili and Kili sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

       Lilith backhanded his shoulder. “Oh my god, you are so immature. And don’t you encourage him,” she said, pointing back at Loki when he laughed too.

       The two boys snickered as she glowered at them. They cut across the street and through another backyard to emerge into the park. There was only a few other people there so they had plenty of room. For a while, they just walked the circuit, talking and having a good time. But then Crowley made it very apparent he was tired of walking and took a seat in the middle of sidewalk.

       “Alright then,” Lilith said. She scooped Crowley up and they walked to the middle of the park and settled down in the grass. Lilith cradled Crowley in her lap and Lucifer tied Azazel and Alastair’s leashes around a large sapling before flopping on his back. Loki found a stick and let Fenrir off his tether to play fetch.

       “Loki?” Lilith began, stroking Crowley’s back.

       “Yes?”

       “How the hell are you wearing short sleeves? It’s November for crying out loud.”

       Loki tipped his head. “But it’s like 10 degrees out.”

       “What?”

       Loki shook his head and tried to calculate in his head. “I mean, it’s like 50 degrees out.”

       “Oh. Well, yeah, exactly.”

       He shrugged. “I suppose I’m more accustomed to Norwegian weather. This is kind of warm for me this time of year.”

       Lilith shook her head. “That’s not natural.”

       Loki laughed. “If the temperature baffles you, you might be interested to know that there’s a period of time in Norway where the sun never actually rises in the winter.”

       Lucifer looked taken aback. “So it’s just…dark all day?”

       “We have a lot of streetlamps,” Loki joked. He took the stick from Fenrir and lobbed it out again. “In the summer it doesn’t really set all the way either. That’s why that region is called ‘Land of the Midnight Sun.’”

       “That sounds like a cheesy romance novel,” Lilith said, leaning back on her elbows.

       They laughed and Loki tossed the stick again. “So when does it start to snow here?”

       Both Lilith and Lucifer quirked an eyebrow at him.

       “You…do know what snow is…right?” He looked completely lost.

       “Okay, we’re from California but we’re not airheads. It’s just, snow around here is about as likely as finding Bigfoot,” Lilith said.

       Loki looked extremely disappointed. “You mean…it’s never snowed here?”

       Lucifer shook his head. “Not significantly anyway. At least while I’ve been alive. I mean, the rain may have frozen briefly but, like, I’ve never made a snowball in my life.”

       “Well, this is going to be a very strange winter for me.”

       After a few seconds of awkward silence, Lilith came out with: “Who wants a sandwich?”

       The boys looked at her strangely as she pulled a big Ziploc filled with individually wrapped sandwiches out of her bag. “No need to thank me, I know I’m the best.”

       “I’ll be the judge of that,” Lucifer said, leaning over and pulling one from the bag.

       Loki whistled for Fenrir to come back and sat down at Lilith and Lucifer’s feet. As the dog trotted over, Loki patted the ground beside him and Fenrir curled up there, resting his head on his paws.

       “He’s very obedient, isn’t he,” Lilith commented, tossing a sandwich to Loki before selecting one for herself.

       “We’ve known each other a long time. It’s a relationship of mutual trust and appreciation.” He lay back and put his head on Fenrir’s side, using him like a pillow.

       “I wish I could say the same about the hellhounds. I feel more like a general than a pal,” Lilith said, her mouth full of peanut butter.

       Lucifer watched her chew with an upturned nose. “Your classiness never fails to charm me, Lil.”

       Lilith rolled her head to look at him with a sardonic smile. “You love it.”

       Lucifer rolled his eyes and ate the rest of his sandwich, trying not to make it obvious how he was watching Loki try and peel the crust off his own sandwich in one go and then feeding it to Fenrir before taking a bite of the now crust-free sandwich. He licked own his lips when a small piece of bread stuck to Loki’s lip, as if that would help somehow.

       There was a mild breeze blowing as they sat in the park and enjoyed each other’s company for the rest of the morning. They walked back to their cars around noon and agreed to meet up at The Hub at 5:00. Lucifer and Loki helped Lilith herd the hellhounds into her car, which was an adventure on its own. After all three dogs were secured, Lilith got in herself and waved goodbye, leaving the two boys alone.

       “Hey, do you need a ride later?” Lucifer asked Loki before he went back home.

       “Sure, if you’re offering.”

       “Okay. I’ll pick you up around 4:45 then.”

       “Sounds good.”

       Lucifer shut the car door and turned on the car and Loki started to walk away. He began to back out of the parking lot when he realized something. He changed direction and pulled up next to Loki.

       Rolling down his window, he said, “Uh…I don’t…actually know where you live. I mean, I know we showed up on Halloween but it was almost dark and I don’t remember what route we took and, like, we didn’t stay on the sidewalk so I don’t know the street na--”

       Loki laughed and cut him off. “Do you have a pen?”

       Lucifer dug around in the glovebox for a moment and handed Loki a pen.

       “Give me your hand.”

       Lucifer offered up his hand tentatively. Loki took it and wrote his address down on Lucifer’s palm, dropping the pen there when he was done. “There.”

       “Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

       “Yep.” Loki waved and started walking again, Fenrir tugging on his leash to get home.

       Lucifer rolled up his window and tossed the pen into the passenger seat. His palm still tingled from where the pen had traveled and he traced the numbers and letters with one finger. After a moment of staring at his hand like it was a delicate treasure, he looked up to find Loki watching him from across the street, a not-so-subtle smile on his face.

       Lucifer felt the heat rise in his cheeks almost instantaneously and he dropped his hand into his lap. He gave Loki an awkward wave before shifting into gear and pulling away from the curb toward home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! This chapter ended up being SOOO big, we’ve decided to split it into two! This is the morning section. The evening section should be done by next week, when the actual Open Mic Event will be put on. Until then, enjoy!


	20. Friday Evening: A Real Audible Connection

_Friday Evening_

       In the bay window, Lucifer could see Fenrir resting on the sill, napping in the late afternoon sun. He figured that room must be a den of some sort, as he could also make out Loki’s brother lounging on a sofa, presumably watching TV.

       Loki stepped out onto the porch but stopped when his mother appeared at the door. Lucifer couldn’t hear what was being said but by their body language, he gathered she was being a typical mother. “Where are you going?” “When will you be home?” “Who will be there?” Loki slumped his shoulders but fielded his mother’s questions then kissed her on the cheek and jogged down the driveway to Lucifer’s car.

       Lucifer waved at Loki’s mom who watched them from the doorway. She gave him a gentle but cautious smile before retreating into the house.

       “Sorry about that,” Loki said, buckling his seatbelt. “She can be a bit overprotective sometimes.”

       “Don’t worry about it. She means well, I’m sure.”

       “Especially now that we’re in a foreign country, she’s really nervous about letting us out of the house.”

       “Does she speak English?”

       “A little. We all speak enough to get by. But I still have to translate most of the time.”

       “Doesn’t that get annoying?”

       “It can be a little…inconveniencing at times. The other day, Thor bought birdseed because with the bird on the front he thought it was Froot Loops. I’ve been designated grocery shopper since then.”

       Lucifer laughed. They passed under the highway and into the old part of town. This part of town was well kept and very picturesque; many of the buildings were historic and it stood out among the rest of the town. Loki gazed out the window and pointed to a spot behind some of the buildings.

       “What is that?”

       “That’s the town green. We use it for community gatherings and stuff. They show movies and host festivals and that kind of thing. It’s pretty cool, we should go sometime.”

        _Shit. Shitshitshit. Did I just ask him out? No, that was just a casual invitation. Wasn’t it? Dammit._

       “Sure.”

       If Loki took his offer as anything beyond platonic, he didn’t show it. He continued to watch the sights go by the window so Lucifer couldn’t see his face but there was nothing in his voice to suggest otherwise. At least, if he had seen it as a date, Lucifer hoped he would have sounded more enthused than that. He’d sounded excited but not that excited. Was there a difference between friendship-excited and dating-excited?

        _Goddamn, Lucifer. Get out of your head. For crying out loud._

       They pulled up in the Hub’s parking lot and went in through the backdoor. Even though they were an hour early for the festivities, the place was almost full. The lounge chairs at the far end of the restaurant had disappeared and were replaced with a makeshift platform. Some of the tables had been pushed together so that everyone had a clear view of the stage.

       Jack gave them the standard salute as they walked in but Lucifer guided Loki over to where Lilith was seated at the bar.

       “We’re not sitting with Jack?”

       “It’s less acceptable to shout across the room on open mic night. Lilith likes to keep close quarters so we can exchange performance scores while I work,” Lucifer explained.

       “Is it a competition?”

        “Not officially, but judging people is kind of a hobby of mine anyway,” Lilith chimed in. She removed her purse from the seat adjacent to her and motioned for Loki to sit down.

       Lucifer went around the bar and into the kitchen to change into his uniform.

       Lilith watched him go with a smile but as the door shut behind him her expression became intense and she grabbed Loki by the lapel, pulling him close. His eyes went wide in surprise and he tried to pull back but her grip was strong.

       “Listen up. I’m not blind and I can see what you’re doing here.”

        Loki tried to interject but she shushed him.

       “I get that you’re clever and there’s elegance in subtlety, but I’m afraid poor Luci is a little hard headed. This is me giving you my explicit approval to amplify the flirtation because for the love of all that is holy, that boy needs this like air. But he’s never going to admit that, ever. So be gentle on him. But not too gentle.”

       Loki stared at her. That was not at all the direction he expected that to go. She let go of his jacket and smoothed it out for him before returning to her coffee like nothing had ever happened.

       When Lucifer came back, he was still tying his smock behind him.

       “Can I get you guys anything?”

       “I’m set, thanks,” Lilith said, holding up her cup.

       Lucifer turned to Loki, awaiting his answer.

       “I guess I’m still working my way through the menu. There’s not a special for open mic night, is there?”

       “Only for participants,” Ianto answered, grabbing a handful of stirring straws from behind Lucifer.

       “Alright, then. I suppose I’ll try…the Tasty and Really Delicious Indian Spice?”

       “Ah, we just call that the TARDIS blend. Jack actually came up with that one, if you couldn’t tell by the name. He spent years trying to find the right recipe but it’s worth it.”

       Loki nodded and Lucifer set to work.

       “Have you ever named a coffee?”

       “Me?” Lucifer turned to make sure he was the one being addressed. “No. It’s not really my area.”

       “Oh, come on. It can’t be any worse than ‘Tasty and Really Delicious.’ That’s just redundant.”

       They laughed and Lucifer slid Loki’s cup across the counter.

       “I guess if I ever come up with a coffee good enough to make the menu, then I’d have cause enough to name it. But really, when is that going to happen?”

       “Well, I look forward to the day that it does.”

       Lucifer saw Lilith smile and knew she was laughing at him on the inside. He never knew how to react to those semi-romantic one-liners Loki kept throwing out and he knew that was one of Lilith’s favorite things to watch. Instead of answering, Lucifer did what he was good at.

       “I better go serve some tables. Don’t wanna get behind before the night even starts.” He let out a nervous laugh and walked away.

       “He’s really not very good at this, is he?” Loki said, watching Lucifer dart around the restaurant taking orders directly from the tables so there wasn’t a line while people were performing.

       “Give him a break. He’s only ever had one serious relationship. And that was with me.”

       “You’re kidding.”

       “Fuck, don’t tell him I said that. But seriously, you’ve met me. How functional do you think that relationship was?” She gave him a look and he laughed.

       “I’ll keep it the basics then.”

       “Nah, go crazy. Besides it being hilarious to watch, what difference does it make to him? He doesn’t know what’s basic and what’s not. Make his first real courtship memorable.”

       Loki looked down at his lap but not quick enough to hide his smirk.

       “What’d I miss?” Lucifer asked, returning to his station with a handful of orders.

       “Nothing. Oh! My girls are almost here. I gotta help them get ready.”

        “Who?” Loki looked confused.

       “Contrary to popular belief, Lucifer is not my only friend. True, he does demand the majority of my time but I do have a life outside of him.”

       Lucifer rolled his eyes and started lining up coffee cups to be filled. She winked at them and went to meet a trio of girls carrying instrument cases at the door. They wove their way through the tables and out the back door to a neighboring building which was serving as backstage for the night.

       Loki recognized one of the girls as the one his prank backfired on. She didn’t seem to notice him as they walked by and he didn’t try to catch her attention.

       Propping his elbows up on the bar, he asked “Did we ever talk about how we got into detention?”

       Lucifer poured milk into one of the mugs and jostled it so it made a design in the espresso. “You’d think we would have but…no, I don’t believe we have.”

       “I only mention it because one of the girls Lilith is with was my reason.”

       Lucifer raised an eyebrow and Loki backtracked, flustered.

       “I mean, I tried to pull a prank on her and she got hurt. The rig broke and it cut open her forehead.”

       “Which girl?”

       Loki described her briefly.

       “Oh. Bela. If you ask me, she probably deserved it. All three of them are kind of bitchy. But then again, they’re all juniors who look up to Lilith like she’s a queen so what do you expect?” He bent over a mug and drew a little picture in the foam with a straw.

       “What about you? What did you do?”

       “I beat up this kid for being a dick to my sister.”

       “At least your reason is noble. I was just acting out because I was the awkward new kid.” He took a drink and swished it around in his mouth, savoring the spicy but somehow sweet taste as it tingled in the back of his mouth.

       “Who knew detention would turn out to be a social hotspot? Hey, come to think of it, I think I actually saw you that morning. Bela was being led down the hall by Dr. Watson and Officer Lestrade and you were following behind.”

       “Not a very good first impression,” Loki said, smiling.

       Lucifer shrugged. “As if your first impression of me was much better. I mean, a first glance at me has got to be a little bit frightening anyway and then on top of that you have me bursting into class, frazzled and out of breath. That’s gotta be a sight.”

       Loki stared at him and Lucifer found himself getting uncomfortable again but this time for other reasons. Usually, Loki’s gaze was playful with that little hint of seduction that drove him insane. But this time Loki was looking at him like he was seeing into him, past his appearance and seeing him for everything he was. A stranger might have said the look was pitiful but Lucifer knew it was empathetic. He had to look away.

       “Do people really treat you poorly because of how you look?”

       Lucifer didn’t answer.

       Loki reached out and put his hand over Lucifer’s which was trembling slightly. “I wish you could see you the way I do.”

       “So getting Ruby’s drums on stage is gonna be a bitch,” Lilith said, plopping back in her chair. The three girls found their own table nearby.

       Loki took his hand away quickly and if Lilith noticed she didn’t say anything about it. Lucifer loaded up a bunch of drinks on a tray and left to distribute them.

       “So…your friends. They’re in a band?” Loki asked, glancing behind him at the trio.

       “Of which I am the manager, yes,” Lilith said proudly. “You ever watch Scooby Doo?”

       “A little.”

       “Well, basically we’re like the Hex Girls except more badass and less eco-friendly.”

       Loki laughed. “So do you also perform or do you just manage?”

       “Now I just manage but back in middle school, and Lucifer will deny this to the day he dies, he and I made our own band.” She paused as Lucifer returned from his delivery run. “You remember, right? Our middle school band? We made album art and everything!”

       “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

       “Aw, come on. We were great!”

       “I honestly have no recollection of this whatsoever.” He turned his back to make more lattes.

       “What did you call yourselves?” Loki asked. He took a sip of his drink.

       “Oh, you’ll love this. Luci came up with it all by himself. Hell’s Bitches.”

       Loki snorted and choked on his coffee. He saw Lucifer clench his jaw and for a moment he felt bad for laughing but then Owen interrupted anyway.

       “Sorry, it’s a bit noisy in here so I may have misunderstood. Did I just hear you say you were in a band called Hell’s Bitches?” The look of rage on Lucifer’s face was enough to answer his question. He clapped Lucifer’s shoulders before dissolving in a fit of laughter. “That is pure gold, that is.”

       “Go do your fucking job, you moron,” Lucifer said, pushing him away. Owen walked back to his side of the bar still laughing and Loki tried to stifle his own snickers.

        “Don’t tell me you never did anything embarrassing in middle school,” Lucifer griped, throwing his towel on the counter.

       “Oh, plenty. But that is its own special category of amusing,” Loki answered, sitting back in his chair.

       Before Lucifer could say anything further, the lights in the restaurant dimmed and Jack took the stage. Adjusting the microphone stand to his height, he tapped it to make sure it was on and then began. “Hello, everyone. Welcome to The Hub’s Open Mic Night. We have a lot of fantastic acts tonight but we’re starting with the most fabulous: me.”

       Most people in the restaurant laughed, accustomed to Jack’s cheek. But Ianto gave him a warning glare and he repented.

       "Of course, I'm kidding. We're all brilliant in our own way but I will be starting us off. Shall we?" He motioned to Tosh, who was sitting on the side of the stage with a stereo, and she gave him a thumbs up. "Alright, then. Geronimo!"

       Tosh started the music and everyone in the restaurant fell silent. Loki and Lilith turned their chairs to face the stage and Loki leaned back on his elbows against the bar. He didn't recognize the song Jack was singing; it sounded kind of show tune-y and old-fashioned. But Jack was good and he was very emotive. At the end of the song, everybody clapped and Jack took a bow before returning to his seat.

       Lilith swiveled in her chair and she Lucifer began their critique.

       "Mr. Harkness was sensational as always. 10/10 for performance and song choice," Lilith began.

       "Agreed, although I think I'm going to have to only award him 8/10 for vocal presence. He was a bit pitchy in the second chorus if I I'm not mistaken," Lucifer said.

       "Yes, I believe you're right. And I think I might deduct a few points for originality. Granted, he does sing very well but it wouldn't hurt him to step out of his comfort zone now and again."

       "Shall we call it a 9/10 overall?"

       "We shall." She and Lucifer nodded at each other before he went back to work.

       Loki watched the whole process with a smile; their friendship never failed to entertain him.

       By the time they had finished scoring Jack, the next participant was up on stage, ready to begin. There were more singers, some poets, a magician, a few instrumentals, a whole variety of acts. Lilith and Lucifer compiled a score for each one, and Loki offered his own opinion occasionally. About halfway through, Penny took the stage and all three of them turned to look at Billy. He had shrunk down in his seat and even from across the restaurant, they could see the sheen of sweat on his forehead.

       "Five bucks he's gonna do the boner shuffle before this is over," Lilith whispered.

       "Lilith!" Lucifer looked at her incredulously.

       "Seriously, look at him. He looks like he's about to pass out. He's not gonna make it."

       "Oh my god."

       Penny handed Tosh a CD and gave her a few instructions. She tucked her hair behind her ear and shifted the microphone down before giving Tosh the go-ahead. The music started and it was slow and sweet, a piano melody that immediately tugged at the heartstrings. It picked up a little as the other instruments joined in and Penny swayed her hips as she fell into the rhythm.

       Lucifer shot quick glances at Billy every few seconds to see how he was coping. He was pale and still sweating but his eyes were glued to the stage.

       When Penny started to sing, Lucifer half-expected her to be awful, that this whole build up would have been for nothing and Billy would be let down. But she wasn't. She began light and airy, her voice as sweet as the piano melody. There was the smallest hint of a lisp as she sang but it was somehow endearing. As the chorus swelled her voice took on a different quality, still beautiful, but richer and more soulful. The whole of the room was entranced and although it seemed like only seconds had passed, the song was over. She smiled and gave a small curtsy at the round of applause she received before retrieving her CD and going back to her chair.

       Lucifer looked over at Billy who was not clapping, as his hands were planted firmly in his lap. Jack was fighting back tears from how hard he was laughing but he whistled and cheered for Penny's performance. Lilith looked back at Lucifer with a grin and wiggled her eyebrows.

       "I didn't actually bet anything..."

       She rolled her eyes. "Are we going to score her?"

       "Can we give points for shock factor? Because damn."

       "Her voice totally matches her though, you know? Like some people, you just can't see how their voice belongs to them? Hers fits perfectly," Loki said.

       “Yeah, it does. So, 10/10 for performance and vocals?" Lilith asked. The boys nodded. "I'm also gonna give full points on song choice. And I think we have to give her full originality points. I think she wrote that song herself."

       "How could you kn--nevermind," Lucifer started but gave up as soon as he thought about who he was asking.

       "So does that give her a perfect all-around score?" Loki asked.

       "Yep. Lucifer? Wanna do the honors?" Lilith said.

       "I would have Billy do it, but I don't think he feels up to standing at the moment." They all laughed.

       Lucifer walked over to the display case and pulled out a pastry. He stuck it in a bag and scribbled something on it before walking over to Penny's table. She looked up at him and smiled as he handed her the bag.

       "What's he doing?" Loki asked, trying to read their lips from across the room.

       "We buy little treats for people who get perfect scores. That's why we always find some sort of fault with Jack so we don't have to buy him stuff."

       "Now what's he doing?"

       "I...don't know."

       Lucifer pointed over his shoulder at Billy and Penny looked over at him before nodding and smiling again. Loki read a 'thank you' before Lucifer left the table and returned to the bar.

       "What was that about?" Lilith asked.

       "It hurts you not to know things, doesn't it?"

       "A little, now fess up."

       "I just told her the pastry was from Billy."

       Both Lilith and Loki's eyebrows shot upward. "You did not," Loki said, a grin spreading across his face.

       Lilith cackled and punched Lucifer's arm. "We may make something of you yet."

       "Thanks."

       She smiled and then got up the help her band get ready for their act. Jack and Owen were already helping Ruby put up her drums and the other two girls were bringing their instruments over from next door. When they were all set, Lilith wished them luck and rejoined Lucifer and Loki.

       Ianto rushed over to Lilith just before the girls began and whispered, "This is family friendly, right?"

       She shrugged and looked apologetic. "More or less?"

       He gave her a look but the band was already starting.

       "Hi. I'm Meg, this is Bela and Ruby, we're Sinful Harmony and this is a song we like to call 'Sweet Possession.'"

       "Dear lord..." Ianto whispered and pinched the bridge of his nose.

       Meg counted them off and they started playing, their music a stark contrast to Penny's soft and charming piece. They weren't necessarily bad, just rather...zealous. By the end, most of the audience looked somewhat affronted but they all clapped. Lilith cheered like a madwoman, bouncing in her chair and yelling praise.

       Lucifer and Loki exchanged looks as Lilith clapped and Lucifer poured Loki another drink.

       "So? Scores?" Lilith prompted after the applause died down.

       "Um...10/10 for originality?" Loki said, fearing the consequences if he said anything to bad mouth her band.

       "Yeah, I agree with that," she said, "but I think Bela wasn't fully present tonight. Her keytar definitely needs some work. Meg was good; she's been taking singing lessons and I think they're paying off. Also, her guitar was pretty spot on. Ruby seemed a little erratic though. I think overall maybe a 7/10 for vocals and instrumentals?"

       Loki agreed, thankful she was okay with criticism. "I do admit, they looked pretty killer on stage. High marks for performance."

        Lilith beamed with pride. "Thank you. And a null score for song choice because we only have like one song that's performance ready so..."

        "I'll round that off as an 8/10 overall," Lucifer said, loading up his tray again.

       "Excellent. I'll let them know." Lilith left to join Meg, Ruby, and Bela at their table for a moment and Lucifer went off on his rounds.

       Loki took a bathroom break and then sat down with Jack and Billy while the stage was being prepared for the next performer.

       "Enjoying it so far?" Jack asked.

       Loki nodded. "Very much so. You were very good."

       Jack put a hand over his heart. "Thank you."

       "What did you decide to do, Billy?" Loki asked.

       Billy's nervous habit kicked in and he squeezed his eyes shut. "It's...uh...it's a secret."

       "He hasn't even told me," Jack put in.

       "Well, good luck," Loki said, patting Billy's arm. On his way back to his chair, Lilith called him over and he took a detour to the girls' table.

       "Loki, this Ruby, Bela, and Meg. Girls, this is Loki."

       All three of them giggled and didn't bother to hide it. Loki had caught on well enough to assume that the three of them were active participants in Lilith's grapevine and therefore probably knew more about him and Lucifer than he did.

       "Nice to meet you," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

       "We've met before actually," Bela said, "or have you already forgotten?"

       "Oh no, I remember you. I've spent every day after school in detention on your behalf. It'd be difficult to forget."

       She smirked. Looking at each of the girls at the table, it was easy to see why they all got along. They all had very high opinions of themselves and Loki had the sneaking suspicion they weren't wrong to. There was no doubt in his mind that if they wanted something done, they would sure as hell get it done, one way or another.

       "Well, congratulations on the performance. I think I'm...uh...gonna go back to my seat." He gestured back toward the bar.

       The girls waved at him but didn't look away and he didn't feel completely comfortable turning his back.

       Back at the bar, Lucifer was washing out some mugs. "So, you met the band, huh?"

       "They put me on edge a little. They just have this...vibe to them that's somehow alluring but also dangerous. Like a Venus fly trap."

       "Maybe that should be their next single."

       The rest of the evening proceeded smoothly and then there was only one person left to go. Billy had convinced Ianto to let him go last, hoping on the off chance that Penny might get bored or have to leave somewhere in the middle. But no such luck. She was still there, almost in the front row of all places.

       Taking a deep breath, Billy picked up the case under the table that Loki hadn't noticed when he was over and walked up on stage.

       The audience was quiet as they waited for him to start but he just stood there, clutching his case and blinking hard.

       Jack and Loki were on the edge of their seats and Lucifer and Ianto leaned forward on their toes all bearing the same look: "Do something!"

       Finally, Billy cleared his throat and set down his case. "Um..." He froze up again and they could see him gulp from all the way in the back. Jack waved him on and Lucifer gave him a thumbs up.

       "Uh, tonight you will all bear witness to an amazing feat of scientific intrigue. You won't believe your eyes." He pulled a small packet out of his pocket and threw it on the ground where it erupted into a cloud of smoke and enveloped him completely. The audience gasped.

       When the smoke faded a few seconds later, Billy was wearing a long, white lab coat and had a pair of goggles resting on his forehead. A ripple of whispers spread out through the restaurant.

       "How did he do that?" Loki asked, keeping his eyes on Billy.

       "Quick change, I've seen it on TV," Lucifer answered, propping up his chin in his hands while he rested his elbows on the countertop.

       In his new attire, Billy bent down and opened up his case, pulling out a tripod which he set up before bringing out the main attraction. A massive device that Loki could only describe as a ray gun was placed gingerly on the stand. More chatter spread around the restaurant and Loki heard Lucifer whisper to Ianto, "Is this even legal?" Ianto looked at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

       "Ladies and gentleman, what you see before you is not a weapon," he flourished his hand in front of the device, his anxiety falling away as he got more and more into the character, "but rather a tool with which I will stop the world." More muttering from the crowd. "Briefly. And then I'll...start it...back up again...." Jack coughed obnoxiously and Billy stopped rambling. "Right! Freeze Ray! First, I'll need a volunteer and a few coffee mugs."

       The entire audience was motionless. Everyone looked at the other people at their table, hoping someone would step up. Ianto slid a few cups to Loki and patted his back.

       "What? Me?" Loki hissed.

       Lucifer and Ianto shrugged. "We believe in you."

       With a steely glare, Loki grabbed the mugs and stood up.

       "O-oh, we have someone in the back," Billy said. The relief in his voice was almost palpable. "Thank you. If you'd just stand there please."

       Loki took his place at the opposite end of the stage where Billy pointed and awaited further instructions. Swiveling the Freeze Ray so it was aimed at the far wall and away from people, Billy told Loki to get ready. "Now, when I say 'go,' toss one of the mugs in front of the Freeze Ray and watch as the laws of gravity are defied."

       Loki nodded and tried to keep the apprehension off his face. When Billy called out the command, he threw the mug as he was told. Everyone held their breath as it arced through the air and then...continued falling until it crashed to the ground and shattered.

       "Uh...the freeze ray takes a few seconds to warm up and I wasn't...."

       He was cut off when the contraption started sparking and smoking, making some kind of whining noise.

       "That's...not a good sound."

       He was knocked off his feet as the freeze ray exploded and little bits of shrapnel rained down on the audience. Loki crouched down in the corner as the remains caught on fire and the smoke set off the fire alarm. People in the restaurant started screaming and everyone scrambled for the exits.

       "Nobody panic!" Ianto yelled over the hubbub. "Everyone proceed to the exits in an orderly fashion!"

       Jack and Ianto began ushering people out and Lucifer wove through the throng of people flooding to the exit and found Loki somewhat shell shocked in the corner. "You okay?" He grabbed his elbow and helped Loki to his feet.

       The boy looked dazed and clung to front of Lucifer's shirt while he got his bearings. Shaking a few stray pieces of debris out of his hair, he nodded. "I think so. Billy was closer, though. Is he okay?"

       The two of them crossed the stage, keeping a safe distance from the still flaming remains of the Freeze Ray, and found Billy semi-conscious on the floor. They knelt by his side and gave him a quick once-over. He didn't look to be terribly injured: a few scratches, bumps and bruises, a couple burn marks on his coat.

       "Buddy? You gonna make it?" Lucifer prodded Billy's shoulder.

       Billy spluttered and coughed, rising to sitting position. His goggles were askew and he also looked stunned, but Lucifer had a feeling his ego was what took the most damage. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess."

       Jack came running over with a fire extinguisher and put out the fire while Ianto stood on a chair and disengaged the alarm. Loki and Lucifer helped Billy up and led him outside. Most people had already gone home but a few of them stuck around to see the aftermath. They sat Billy down on bench and then went back inside to get him a glass of water.

       "I was really rooting for him," Loki said. "I had my doubts but I was really hoping that would work out for him."

       Lucifer was about to agree when Lilith came bursting through the back door. "That was the coolest fucking thing I've ever seen in my life!"

       Lucifer looked up with a peeved expression. "Do you have any sympathy at all?"

       "Oh, admit it. That was awesome."

       "Don't tell Billy that. I think his life was just ruined," Lucifer said, dropping a few ice cubes in the cup of water.

       "I don't know," Lilith said in a sing song voice. "Things might be looking up." She pointed at the window.

       Loki looked over his shoulder and saw where Billy was seated on the bench. Someone was there next to him.

       "Is that...?"

       The three of them crept closer to the window until there was no mistaking Penny's red hair. She was speaking to Billy and smiling, while he looked down at his feet and listened, probably trying to keep from throwing up.

       Lilith, Loki, and Lucifer watched them for a minute and saw Penny hand him something before standing up to leave. As soon as she was gone, they raced outside.

       "What was that all about?" Loki asked as they crowded around Billy. He still seemed in a haze; whether it was from the Freeze Ray mishap or the conversation, they couldn't tell.

       Billy turned the piece of paper over in his hands. "She...talked to me."

       "Yeah, we saw that, genius. What about?" Lilith egged him on.

       "She's a rocket scientist..."

       "Holy shit," Lucifer exclaimed. "That one came out of left field."

       "She said she's busy a lot but she'd love to help me rebuild the Freeze Ray sometime and talk schematics. Then she gave me her number."

       Lilith whistled. "Who would've thought a horrible performance would be what finally caught her attention. But hey, whatever works."

       "Thanks...I guess."

       They were interrupted by the screech of the fire engine as it came up the street and squealed to a stop in front of The Hub.

       Jack and Ianto came dashing out the front door and Jack waved his arms. “We’re okay! It’s taken care of,” he shouted over the siren.

       The firemen hopped down from the truck and started talking to Jack and Ianto about the situation.

       Meanwhile, Billy bid everyone goodnight, saying he needed to get home before he passed out from all that had happened. Lilith offered to walk him to his car although Lucifer had the feeling it wasn’t because she was feeling altruistic, she just hadn’t had the chance to get all the information she could out of him.

       Lucifer and Loki took a seat on the bench while the firemen inspected the building.

       “You know, that’s two days in a row we’ve almost burned to death together,” Loki pointed out.

       “I’d rather not make that a thing between us, if it’s alright with you.” Lucifer kept a straight face until Loki caught his eye and they both burst into laughter.

       “Well,” Loki said, catching his breath, “as long as we keep it at almost, I think we’ll be okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so late!


	21. Saturday: Another Stolen Relic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! :D

_Saturday_

       The bell over the door jingled as Lucifer entered. He easily spotted Lilith at their normal table and gave her a nod before going to the counter to order a drink. Tosh gave him a broad grin and he rolled his eyes; she probably knew all about his day with Loki yesterday. He gave her a long-suffering look and she seemed to perk up even more, her voice annoyingly chipper. She happened to glance down at his hands while he signed the receipt and noticed a flash of faded black ink.

       “What’s that on your hand?”

       “What?” Lucifer opened his hand and glanced down— then quickly closed it into a tight fist when he remembered who had written what on his palm.

       Tosh seemed to pick up on his sudden panic, as she smirked knowingly. “Well?”

       “It’s, uh, it’s nothing,” he managed to get out without stuttering. Tosh could tell he was lying, but she didn’t say anything more. He moved away from the counter and slumped into his chair across from Lilith. The blonde raised her eyebrows over her drink, sipping it before smirking at him.

       “What was Tosh so smiley about?”

       “Absolutely nothing,” he opened up his phone, hoping she would drop the subject. Of course, it was a futile hope and he knew it. She saw the scrawled words on his hand when he typed a reply to Loki’s most recent text. Like a frog catching a bug on its tongue, her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, a manic grin spread across her face. He yelped at the sudden hold and clenched his fist tightly, hiding the words with his fingers.

       “Ah-ha! I thought I saw something on your hand last night!”

        “Even if you did, what’s it to you?”

       “C’mon, Lucifer! What’s on your hand?”

       “It’s nothing. Seriously, let go, Lilith.”

       “If it were nothing you would let me see it. What could be so embarrassing that you would--” Her sly grin morphed into a gasp of delight that she saved for only the juiciest gossip. “Is it HIS address? Is that what it is? Oh, let me see!”

       “No! Lil, let go!” Lucifer tried to yank his hand out of her grip, but she was remarkably strong and held him in place.

       Ianto came over with Lucifer’s order to see what the fuss was about.

       “Lucifer? What’s going on?”

       “He has something on his hand and he won’t show me!” Lilith whined, still keeping an iron grip on his wrist as she pleaded at Ianto. “Make him open his hand!”

       “It’s none of your damn business, Lilith!”

       “Everything is my damn business, Lucifer,” she retorted.

       Ianto furrowed his brows, concerned. “Lucifer? What is on your hand?”

       Before he could come up with a reasonable answer, Jack’s voice floated across the restaurant to them: “It’s the black spot! He’s cursed!”

       Ianto shut his eyes to keep from rolling them. “I highly doubt it’s the black spot, Jack, we’re not even on a ship.”

       “ _Cuuuursed_ …” His voice wavered like a ghostly groan, making some of the other patrons laugh.

       “Jack.” There was amused warning in Ianto’s tone. Lucifer tugged, but Lilith just pinched his thumb, trying to make him open his hand. “Lilith, let Lucifer go.”

       Lilith grumbled but did so. However, as Lucifer breathed a sigh of relief and went to move his hand back, Ianto snatched it up and had his fingers open before Lucifer could comprehend what was going on.

       “There, it’s just an address.”

       “IANTO!” Lucifer squawked, yanking his hand back to curl protectively against his chest. He could feel his face heating up as Ianto smirked at him.

       “What? All the fuss made me curious too. Make sure it’s washed off by your shift on Monday.” With that, Ianto set down his coffee and strolled back behind the counter.

       Lilith propped her chin in her hands and fluttered her eyelashes. “So when were you gonna tell me?”

       “Don’t even start.”

       She laughed and stirred her drink. “Didn’t you go to his house on Halloween anyway? What’d you need his address for?”

       “I happened to come across his porch, I didn’t know where we were specifically. It was just double checking in case I couldn’t find it again,” he replied, taking a sip of his drink before determining it was still too hot.

       “Did your fingers get all tingly when he wrote it?” she asked, crinkling her nose and shimmying her shoulders a little.

        Lucifer didn’t deign the question with an answer, only narrowing his eyes and shaking his head. He ignored her further as his phone vibrated and he pulled it out to find a text message from Loki.

        _i’m bored_

        Lucifer kept the phone below the table but Lilith wasn’t an idiot. She caught him grinning the moment he took the phone out of his pocket. But for once, she kept her mouth shut and just waited for the scene to play out in front of her.

        _i’m sorry??_

_you should be :P_

_how is it my fault?_

_never said it was. though, you could help me out_

_well what do you want me to do about it?_

_I want you to entertain me, obviously_

        Lilith watched Lucifer’s eyes go wide at whatever the last text message had been but she still bit her tongue. He swallowed hard and seemed to think for an awfully long time before answering back.

    _what does that involve?_

_well, i don't have anything specific, but it shouldn’t be that hard to find a few activities we could do together_

        Lucifer looked up at Lilith as if she could have picked up the suggestive nature of the text from her seat. She waited for him to say something but he just dropped the phone in his lap and drained his coffee, almost choking when the phone vibrated again. Lilith watched him with raised eyebrows as he fumbled around and nearly knocked the cup off the table.

        “I’m...uh...gonna get another...another uh...coffee.”

        “Have fun.”

        He nodded curtly and stuffed the phone in his jacket pocket, then hurried up to the front counter. There were a half dozen people already waiting in line, so he joined the longest one, fiddling with the handle of his mug and ignoring the buzzing that emitted from his jacket pocket every so often. He had calmed down substantially by the time he was able to order a new drink and return to his seat, but more time had passed than he anticipated and he opened his phone to a chunk of unread text messages.

        _what is there to do in this strange little town anyway?_

_it's not exactly a metropolis of entertainment_

_Lucifer?_

_hello?_

_c'mon, don't ignore me._

_i’m sorry if i insulted your hometown._

_you are getting my texts right?_

      _i know what we could do, didn't you say you would "show me the sights"?_

        Lucifer hurried to answer him back, not meaning to leave him hanging, he just didn’t know how to respond.

        _yeah, i could show you around if you want_

_excellent. let’s go_

_right now?_

_yeah, unless you’re busy, of course_

        Lucifer looked up from his phone at Lilith who didn’t bother averting her eyes to hide the fact that she was staring at him. “Do you wanna go walk around the Green for a while? I was gonna show Loki around a little.”

        She looked at her watch. “Sorry, I got things to do and places to be.”

        “Yesterday you told me that you were going to be bored this weekend because you had nothing to do.”

        “Well, things came up.”

        “Just now?”

        “Yes.”

        “I don’t believe you.”

        “Looks like it’ll just be the two of you.” She wiggled her eyebrows and eyed him with that irritating, devilish grin.

        Lucifer gritted his teeth. “Fine.”

        _right now is fine. do you need a ride?_

_that would be awesome. my brother is at work and he has the only car. not that i could drive anyway_

_you don’t know how to drive?_

_nope. In Norway, you can’t learn to drive until you’re 18._

_ah. make sure you have some money, in case you want to buy anything_

        _ok do i need to bring anything else with me?_

_just your sense of adventure_

        As soon as he pressed send, Lucifer begged for the message to come back. It had sounded playful and humorous in his head but now it just sounded stupid.

        “What did you do?” Lilith asked upon seeing the stricken look on his face.

        “Uh...nothing.”

        “On a scale of 1 to middle school, how embarrassing was it?”

        “Maybe like a 6?”

        She patted his hand. “There, there. I’m sure he’ll forgive you.”

        Lucifer waited anxiously for Loki’s response.

        _hahaha, i never leave home without it_

* * *

       “So this is downtown. Well, no one really calls it downtown, we call it the Town Green, but it’s where most of the shops are, but I think it lacks that downtown vibe without really having a “green” vibe and--”

       “What, exactly, is a survival store?” Loki’s question cut through Lucifer’s nervous rambling and made him pause to look in the direction of Loki’s gaze. His eyes landed on a familiar shield logo.

       “It’s pretty much what it sounds like. They sell things for emergencies, anything from an earthquake to zombies. Kili really likes the MREs they sell there; he would buy them by the box. I think he even took some to Ireland with him. Do you want to go in there?”

       Loki gave the store a contemplative look, but shook his head. “Another time, perhaps.”

       They continued walking down the sidewalk, passing stores and empty buildings. As they turned the corner, they politely stepped out of the way of a woman pushing a large stroller. Loki would occasionally peer into a store’s front window, looking at the wares or services being rendered, Lucifer talking about his experience with that store before they moved on. Loki’s steps slowed as they approached a squat building with a smattering of chairs scattered around the front door, all manners of sizes, shapes, and colors. The sign above read “Robert’s Relics,” and Lucifer could tell Loki was intrigued.

       “Come on, Rob always has some really cool stuff.” He lead Loki inside the building.

        The door was open to let in the warm breeze, though the cool musty interior felt nice after being in the sun. An old-fashioned jukebox stood near the front counter. It was one of those huge ones with yellow neon lights adorning the top arch, faded yellow labels advertising the songs it could play next to worn buttons. It had a wide selection of discs inside, the turntable empty and waiting. Loki fiddled with a few of the buttons, not expecting it to really work; he was shocked and a bit alarmed when the mechanism inside moved, selecting a disc with a faded pink label and setting it on the turntable. Britney Spears’s “Toxic” began to play, and would not stop no matter what Loki pressed.

       “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…” He gave the store owner an apologetic and slightly panicked look. Lucifer snorted from somewhere behind him.

       “Britney Spears? Really? Out of all the choices it could have been?”

       “Don’t diss Britney, man,” the old man warned gruffly with a grin, pointing a finger at Lucifer, “she is a classic.” He turned to Loki with a mildly annoyed expression. “It’s fine, as long as you didn’t harm it. You take a look around, and holler if you find something you like.”

       Loki gave the man another tight, apologetic smile, then wandered down the first aisle. Items were all stacked and jumbled on top of each other, but after some time he could see a sort of organization to it. Big items were stacked and ordered in aisles in the back, smaller items on rows and rows of shelves closer to the front. They seemed to be sorted by similarities: all the kitchen things were in one row, another shelf devoted to clocks, half a unit filled entirely with angel statuettes. Many of the shelves near the back were a convoluted mess of random items, though, and that’s where Loki found himself looking closest. There were all manner of amazing, intriguing things back there.

       A glint of blue caught Loki's eye and drew him in. He moved a small gramophone with a thin black bell and a heavy gold gauntlet with jewels decorating the knuckles off the item, making sure the movement didn't create a chain reaction of chaos he wouldn't be able to pay for, before turning his gaze solely to the revealed box. After checking one last time that it was clear of other stuff, he lifted it carefully from its spot.

       He cradled the box almost reverently in his arms. It was blue, about a foot by a foot, six inches deep, shades of blue swirled in the thick plastic so that they seemed like the sky frozen in winter shades. It was cold when he picked it up, though it quickly warmed in his hold. The rectangle was edged in metal, and half circles of space in the body of the box near each end formed easy to hold handles. His fingers followed the smooth lines and curves, finding a spot near the base of one handle that pushed in slightly when he applied pressure. Curious, he pressed the hidden button and the box flickered, then lit up an unearthly blue. This made the etchings on it’s surface stand out even more, strange patterns that seemed to ripple across the surface. The light bathed his pale skin with the vibrant hue, making the blue seem almost a natural part of his flesh wherever it touched. Loki stared into the swirled depths, mesmerized by how the colors were so different now that they were back-lit.

        Lucifer wandered the store as well, seeing what was new or recently surfaced in the store. He wandered down a row filled with wooden boxes, tracing his fingers along the strange markings burned into the surface of one of them. Lucifer always felt creepy walking by the wall of mirrors; it felt like something watched him from the other side, ready to spring out if he so much as said their name. He came across the row where Loki was standing, staring transfixed into a glowing blue box thing Lucifer had never really paid attention to before. The blue light cast Loki’s angular face in alien shadows, the blue bouncing off his pale skin and making his eyes look almost as though they were glowing.

        “What is that thing?” Lucifer reached out to brush his fingers over the cold blue surface, skin breaking out into goosebumps when he came in contact.

        “I have no idea, but it’s beautiful. I wonder how much it costs…. There is no tag….”

        “Well, let’s ask Rob.”

       Together they walked to the front counter and Loki gently set the item down. Rob came over and inspected it.

       “How much would you be willing to sell that for?” Loki asked.

       "Hmm...well, this is a rare piece...$1000."

       "That is ridiculous! What makes it worth so much?"

       "Well, it is a custom piece, crafted out of very fine, valuable materials, probably the only one like it in the world... $1500."

       "What?! You just said 1000!"

       Rob gave an unapologetic shrug. "You reminded me just how valuable it is."

       Loki muttered, "This is absurd," under his breath, fingers trailing along the blue surface.

       "If you can't pay, put it back."

       Loki snatched the box up, carrying it away from the front counter as he stormily grumbled in Norwegian. Lucifer followed him after shooting the old man a dirty look.

       "He is completely unfair and a _drittsekk_ to boot. $1500…. It is a beautiful piece, yes, and if it is truly one of a kind I can see the value, but that is still over priced."

       Lucifer glared at the man from a few aisles away, one hand clenched in a fist the other resting ever-so-lightly on Loki's arm.

       "He's a decent enough guy, until you go to buy something. Then he gets kind of jerkish and always overprices things, especially for people who are from out of town. That's why none of his items have price stickers."

       Loki looked sadly at the box. "I don't know why, but I am so very drawn to this. But there is no way I can afford that." Loki sighed and went to set it down, but Lucifer's hand curled around his, keeping it there. He glanced up quickly, a light blush on his face, but Lucifer wasn't paying attention, his eyes narrowed at the counter then at the door, as if judging the distance.

       "Yeah, we can totally pull this off," he muttered, fingers tightening for half a second before letting go and turning his icy blue gaze on Loki. He spoke in low tones that could not be overheard. "Move slowly to the end of the aisle, closest to the door. I'll go distract Rob. I'm glad there's good weather, means you don't have to worry about the bell."

       Loki caught on in a flash, his eyebrows raising. He responded in an equally low voice, "You intend for me to steal this?"

       "Unless you don't actually want it that much." Loki tightened his hold on the handles and Lucifer nodded. "So, act casual and--"

       "Please. This isn't my first case of shoplifting." Loki's smile was wide and sharp, with an edge of bitterness laced with thrill. Lucifer felt his lips stretching to match the grin. "How will you distract him?"

       "There's a gun in the case he's been restoring and he loooves talking about it. Wait until I give you this signal," he nonchalantly slid his hand into his back pocket, "then go. I’ll call you when I leave."

       Loki nodded and his eyes slid down Lucifer's back as the teen walked up to the counter and leaned on it casually. He knew the signal wouldn't come for some time, but he would not pass up the opportunity to stare at Lucifer's ass with full permission. He let his mind wander deliciously, but was not so caught up that he missed the signal. As soon as Lucifer's hand interrupted his ogling, Loki silently slunk out of the store, holding the box protectively against his chest, taking care not to bump into anything or trip on his way out. He passed the store beside the relic shop at a brisk walk, waiting until he crossed the street before breaking into a run and ducking down the second turn, weaving between streets and random blocks until he was thoroughly lost in the closest neighborhood. He sat down on a curb, in the shade of some trees, and waited for Lucifer to find him, letting his eyes be transfixed on the blue box edged in metal that rested on his lap. He pressed the hidden button and the cube glowed a soothing blue. Half an hour passed by the time Lucifer finally called him, asking where he was. A few descriptions and the street name, and Lucifer was soon there, a cheshire grin on his face as Loki slid into the passenger's seat.

       “Very well done, I don’t think he even noticed you leaving.”

       “I have gotten very good at walking unseen by even very watchful eyes.” The boys traded grins as Lucifer rolled down the street. Loki traced the etched lines on the plastic, voicing a concern that was floating in his mind: “Will he send the police after me? I’ve never had to deal with American police, so I don’t know what to expect.”

       "Nah, the police stopped really trying to find shoplifters from Rob's after the first dozen times. Half the time, he was the one that misplaced the item, and since he doesn't really keep any sort of reliable records, they can't really press charges or even properly look for anything. Besides, it doesn't really happen that often, and it’s debatable if he’ll even notice its absence. We'll be fine."

       Loki smiled at him, fingers trailing along the edges of the blue box. “Thank you for helping me get this.”

       Lucifer flashed a wide smile at him, keeping his eyes on the road. “Yeah, well, I never really liked that jerk. He’s got cool stuff but a shit personality and he ripped me off a while back when we needed to sell some stuff. Feels nice to get a good one over him.”

       “Where to now?”

       “Well, you haven’t seen all of the Green, so I figured I’d park at the opposite end and we can walk around. We still have plenty of time until sunset.”

       

        They parked in a lot next to the main Green and walked along the sidewalk next to the park until they got to the main street and the shops there. They talked as they walked, Loki remarking how the colorful buildings all squished together reminded him of places in Norway. They reached a mint colored building with large display windows. Lucifer’s face brightened with a wide smile and he opened the door for Loki, gesturing for him to go in first.

        “Come on, I think you’ll like this place. I could do with some gelato anyway.”

        They entered the store and immediately the smell of sugar assaulted their senses. A bell rang as the door opened and a voice from the back called “Welcome to Powell’s, be with you in a moment!” Stacks of wooden baskets waiting to be filled stood in front of them. Beyond them, further into the shop, there was a large glass case displaying tubs of frozen gelato, handwritten flavor cards taped to the outside. Sunlight streamed through the large front display windows, turning dust mites into diamonds dancing in the breeze from the fans overhead. The store was brimming with barrels and shelves and displays of colorful candy boxes and bags, large bins and tubes of loose bulk candies lining one wall.Loki stopped so swiftly and unexpectedly, Lucifer ran into him. The impact barely rocked Loki as he gazed about from his frozen position in blatant awe. Lucifer stepped around him to stand beside the Norwegian, his eyebrows raised in confusion then amusement when he saw how large Loki’s eyes were and how his jaw had dropped. The phrase “kid in a candy shop” came unbidden to Lucifer’s mind and he had to hide a broad smile in a cough.

        “Do they not have candy shops in Norway?” Lucifer inquired as politely as he could, though his aloof expression cracked into a grin almost as soon as it was in place. Loki mutely shook his head, eyes alighting on Lucifer briefly before going back to the overwhelming displays of sweets. Lucifer grabbed a wooden basket from the stacks near the door and linked his arm with Loki’s. “I’ll show you the good stuff, then.”

       A man came out from a back room and spotted them. “Ah, Milton! Your brother still owes me for that last shipment!”

        Lucifer laughed and waved him off, “yeah, yeah, I’ll make sure he pays you!”

        Loki followed Lucifer around the shop in a sort of dreamy daze, the American placing small boxes and bags and packets and tubes and packages of a wide variety of candy in his basket. The TV in the corner played _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_ , providing a pleasant ambience. A glance down showed the basket nearly half full and Loki felt a stab of panic.

        “Lucifer! There’s no way I can pay for all this!”

        “What are you talking about? That’s, like, 25 bucks at most.” Loki’s eyes snapped their gaze to his friend’s face in astonishment. “What?”

        Loki shook his head, the wonder still on his face. “Nothing, I...just forget how inexpensive things are here. The variety and abundance is... overwhelming.”

        Lucifer looked around the colorful shop with new appreciation, one hand coming up to scratch his scalp, mussing his spiky hair further. “Huh. I guess I’m just used to it. There is a lot here...” He sent Loki a decidedly wicked grin. “You _have_ to try the sour bacon gummies, though.”

        “The _what_?”

 

        “I will admit,” Loki commented later as they sat on a bench in the Town Green proper, pushing the last melty bites of his gelato around with a plastic spoon, “I did not anticipate candy that tastes like sour yet sugary bacon. It was...”

        “Delicious yet revolting?” Lucifer offered. Loki nodded and laughed.

        Loki had ended up with a small haul of candy and they had sat on the bench sampling every package. For some reason, Lucifer had felt even more connected to Loki in that half an hour of candy sampling. It almost felt as if he were tasting it all for the first time as well as he shared in Loki’s delight and occasional disgust. They had laughed and chewed and told stories of when they were young. Lucifer tossed M&Ms at Loki, who caught almost every single one in his mouth. When Loki tried the same thing with him, most of them bounced off his cheeks or nose. Lucifer couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed so much.

        They finished their gelato--not ice cream, as the man in Powell’s had explained, as gelato had no dairy in it--and threw the cups away in the nearest trash can. Loki crouched by the gently moving water feature that formed almost a moat around the side of the park and cupped his hands in the water, bringing them up to splash his face. He scrubbed at his mouth and cheeks to get the sticky feeling of half-dried gelato off his skin, then shook off his hands and stood up.

        They walked a few feet down to where four concrete rectangles acted as stepping stones across the water. Lucifer hopped straight to the second one, balancing on it. Loki joined him and they looked down at the smooth stones under the shallow water. Lucifer had a soft smile on his face, his eyes distant.

        “When we were little, Lilith and Kili and I would come here to play. Kili’s brother, Fili, too, usually; they were pretty much inseparable those days. We would always end up here, all trying to push the others into the water so we could be king of the river.” He chuckled, crouching so he could run his fingertips in the cool water. “I got so many cuts and bruises here. I think Kili got a concussion once from hitting one of the blocks, but it’s hard to tell if it damaged his brain or not with the way he acts.” Lucifer laughed again. Loki stepped over to the third block so he could crouch beside Lucifer, mimicking his pose. Lucifer’s wide smile faded to one that was smaller, softer. “My mom was watching us this one time,” he started. Loki kept silent and watched the water ripple around his fingers; Lucifer rarely mentioned his mother, so this was obviously something precious. “She had just had Uriel, he was maybe, I dunno, two? One and a half? He was little. So, we were playing here and he wanted to join us, so he came toddling over, that silly walk toddlers have. He managed to make it to the first block, don't really know how, but we didn't realize until Kili had accidently bumped him into the water when Fili shoved him. Uriel started wailing, of course, and my mom had to come get him out of the water, which was kind of embarrassing for me. He wasn't hurt, just wet. She wasn't mad or anything, but we had to go home so she could change him, and..." he shook his head ruefully. "I dunno, for some reason, that's one of my clearest memories of this park. She looked beautiful that day, my mom. Radiant like the sun."

       He was silent for a long minute. Loki trailed his fingers in the water a little closer to Lucifer's, leaning into him just a bit, their shoulders touching.

        "There is a stream at the base of a mountain we would hike on back in Norway," his voice was soft, not wanting to interrupt the rare mood Lucifer was in, "I took Fenrir up there after he was old enough, maybe six months, because I was teaching him how to swim and the stream doesn't have a very strong current, nor is it very wide. I was eight and it was spring, when it gets just warm enough to swim in shallow water. I ran ahead with Fenrir, but Thor and my parents weren't that far behind me. I jumped in as soon as I could, expecting the stream to be slow and easy, but I hadn't anticipated the extra water from the mountain run-off. We had had a heavy winter and the snow was melting. The current was stronger than I expected and it swept me off my feet. Thor tells me they knew something was wrong when Fen started howling. My mother saw me go under and immediately swam in to get me, fully clothed and everything. I don’t remember much of this, I was underwater and trying to fight the current at the time and water was in my lungs, but I do remember warm strong arms lifting me out of the water, and cold wet fabric on my cheek." He felt Lucifer leaning into him more but he kept his eyes on their hands in the water. "Frigga is a force to be reckoned with. When I wasn’t choking, I was in awe of her that day. I would have drowned or been dashed against a rock if she hadn't grabbed me." His smile widened a bit. "Thor still doesn't like me going near rivers alone. I'm a strong swimmer, but a good current could wash me away."

       They stayed there in silence, the sun beating down against their backs, glinting off the water and into their eyes. After a few minutes, Lucifer sat back and flicked the water off his fingers at Loki. Loki grinned and returned the favor, flicking droplets onto Lucifer's face. He smiled and wiped his face off, then stood. Loki stood as well and the teens finished crossing the blocks to the other side, where lush grass was crisscrossed with concrete paths and dotted with young trees. They wandered around until the sun dropped toward the horizon. Then they headed back to the car.

  
  


       The sun was just dipping behind the horizon as Lucifer pulled into Loki’s driveway. Loki clutched his purchases to his chest and waved from the doorway as Lucifer drove off. He was humming a short tune as he closed the door behind him. He passed Thor in the upstairs hallway. The blonde peered into his bags curiously and saw the blue box.

        “ _(What is that?)_ ” he asked, leaning down and reaching out to touch it with a finger. Loki resisted the urge to draw back protectively.

        “ _(Just something I picked up at the local antique store.)_ ” He said it as casually as possible, but Thor still seemed to pick up something in his tone.

        He glanced up suspiciously, but kept his tone casual as well. “ _(Oh? How much did it cost?)_ ” When Loki didn’t reply, he stood up to his full height with a disapproving sound. “ _(I cannot say I am happy with your conduct, brother, especially in a land not our own...)_ ” Loki was expecting his older brother to demand he return it, but instead Thor curiously ran his finger along one of the etched designs on the blue surface. “ _(Take good care of it, since you wanted it so badly.)_ ”

        With that, he walked off, going down the stairs. Loki watched him go, then shook his head and shut himself in his room. He doubted he would ever understand Thor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW, it’s been a while since we posted!! Super duper sorry about that, entirely my fault. We’re working on more chapters, but it’ll be probably be a while yet before the next one is ready :(
> 
> In this chapter we play Spot the Reference! :D I put quite a few of them in there.
> 
> However, most importantly, in this chapter we will discuss something very significant: where they live. For your see, their town is based off a real one. Windsor, California. That’s right, you can use Google maps to follow their path. We even have houses picked out for all of the main characters and many of the side characters. The stores in this chapter are real businesses:
> 
> The “familiar shield logo” and survival store is referencing Plan B Survival Store (<http://plan-b-survival.com/>)
> 
> Robert’s Relics is a real store. (<http://www.olddowntownwindsor.com/archive/splash_pages/roberts.html>)
> 
> Powell’s Sweet Shoppe is a chain of candy stores. You can even buy the candy online. (<http://www.powellsss.com/go/>) (and yes, they really do play _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_ pretty much nonstop in the store. In the one in Windsor, there’s even a little theater like area in front of the tv)
> 
> And here is the site for Old Downtown Windsor, check it out, this town is adorable. <http://olddowntownwindsor.com/>
> 
> The Hub is where Patterson's Pub sits in reality (the building is really cool looking! and it's in the perfect spot!) Ianto and Jack live in a loft above it.
> 
> Ten Million thanks to Sha, our fantastic Norwegian advisor!!! Without her help, this story would not be the same!


	22. Sunday: Ha En Fin Dag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How now, what is this I spy? A new chapter?? IT IS INDEED!
> 
> This chapter has been sitting mostly-finished in my document for months. I finally got around to finishing it and editing it, and now it is here before your eyeballs!  
> Title is Norwegian for "have a nice day" because I'm really uncreative when it comes to titles :p  
> Super special thank you to my new Norwegian consultant, Emilie!! {EDIT: whoops. forgot to put the chapter title up! All fixed now!}
> 
> You may have noticed I said "I" instead of the normal "we." My dear friend and co-author TheCaptain has lost the enthusiasm and inspiration that first drove us to write this story. As such, she has backed out of it and has given me full control of this story. She will help me with ideas, but I will be writing solo from now on. As such, the format of this story will change a bit, and I won't update for a while as I decide how I'm going to tackle this monster of a story. I will update again, or at least I plan to, but it won't be for a while as real life is kind of crazy right now.  
> Thank you everyone for your unending support. I truly appreciate it.
> 
> Now. On to the story!

_Sunday_

     A band of warmth across his face woke Loki. He blinked blurrily, squinting at the sunlight that seeped through the space between his curtains. He groaned and rolled over, but now that he was awake he knew he wouldn’t get back to sleep. With a great sigh, he sat up and rubbed his eyes before getting out of bed. His jaw popped as he yawned, stepping over Fenrir as he entered the kitchen. Thor entered the kitchen soon after him and ruffled Loki’s hair as he passed him on his way to get a plate. Loki scowled, but it was ruined by another yawn.

     He accepted the plate of cheese and ham, some lettuce and sliced tomatoes off to one side, from Frigga with a smile and murmured 'good morning' then took his customary seat at the table. Thor thumped into place beside him, nearly a tankard of orange juice in the hand not holding his loaded plate.

 _"_ _(What are your plans for the day, brother?)_ " Thor inquired between bites. Loki swallowed his mouthful before answering.

     " _(Homework, mostly. I have a still-life due in advanced 2-D on Tuesday that I’d like to get done today, as well as math and biology.)_ "

     " _(I am so glad to not have to do homework ever again, though I never had to do as much work as you have to do here,)_ " Thor said, stealing a tomato slice off Loki's plate. Loki retaliated by taking a slice of cheese off Thor's plate, which still had enough food on it for Loki to consider it a hearty meal, for all that Thor was only halfway done with what he had taken.

     " _(Yes, but you have to do taxes, which are just as bad as homework.)_ "

     Thor chuckled and gently bumped shoulders with his brother, digging into his breakfast with zeal, though he did savour each bite. He could afford to take the time today, since it was his day off.

     Loki finished his food and rinsed his plate in the sink. He filled Fenrir's dish with kibble, scratching the dog's head as he came to eat his breakfast. He lightly thumped Thor's shoulder as he passed on his way to the stairs, easily dancing out of range for Thor to flick him in the side in return. The blond's booming laughter followed him upstairs.

 

     Loki wondered if it would be tempting fate to include the Isete Kiste - what he was calling his new blue box - in the still life he had to do for art class. He didn’t think Mr. Mendez would turn him in, or even know to turn him in, but he decided that the risk of evidence wasn’t worth it. Besides, he kind of wanted to keep it to himself. Instead, he arranged a few objects he had brought with him from Norway on his desk and positioned his chair in the middle of his room, a large sketchbook balanced on his knees.

     The steady motions of his pencil on the paper lulled him into a sort of trance, thoughts emptying from his head like snow melting under the sun’s glare until there was none left. Here he drifted for much of the morning, his world only consisting of the paper and the objects he was drawing, until tapping at his door brought him out of it. He inspected what he had done and found it satisfactory before answering the summons.

     Frigga stood on the other side of the door and she smiled warmly at him when he opened it. “ _(Lunch is ready, Loki.)_ ”

     “ _(Okay, I will be down soon.)_ ” She nodded and turned to go back downstairs, leaving a faint floral scent like spring from her perfume in his doorway. Loki washed his hands, scrubbing graphite off his fingertips, before heading downstairs. Lunch was a light meal of sandwiches and a small bowl of salad. Thor was already downstairs, eating his portion. Sounds from the television in the living room suggested where Odin was. Loki was glad his adoptive father would not be joining them for this meal: his day had been pleasant so far, and he did not want it spoiled. Lunch was a relaxed and quiet meal, a comfortable warm silence enveloping the kitchen, only pierced by the occasional explosion from the television. Loki finished quickly, before the peace could shatter, and went back upstairs to resume his homework.

     He was nearly done with his sketch when a light tapping on his door got his attention. He looked up as Thor peered in, a wide grin on his face.

     “ _(Thor?)_ ”

     “ _(Prepare yourself, my brother. We go to war on the Ice World.)_ ” He shut the door when Loki’s grin mirrored his.

     Setting aside his sketchbook, Loki rolled over to where his laptop was set up on his desk. He pulled up the game Realms of Combat , an online multiplayer game Thor had gotten him hooked on. They fought as a team, usually, as well as some of Thor’s friends in Norway when they could. They were currently on the Ice World expansion and preparing to battle the massive Frost Giant army and defeat their king. It looked like others of their team were already there and ready to go. Loki settled the headset over his ears and turned on his microphone.

     Thor was already on and wishing his friends a good afternoon.

 _“_ _(It is night, here, Thor,)_ ” Fandral replied, his amusement clear even through the static of his low-quality mic.

     “ _(Regardless, it is a good time for battle!)_ ” was Thor’s rejoinder. Loki rolled his eyes and could almost hear the others doing the same.

 _“_ _(Hello, Loki,)_ ” Sif said pleasantly. She had always tolerated him the most out of Thor’s friends, accepting him at least somewhat into their group and helping him when he was too little to keep up with Thor’s long strides.

     “ _(Well met, Lady Sif,)_ ” Loki replied with a grin.

     " _(Let us defeat the King and be rid of these monsters once and for all!)_ " Thor crowed into his mic. They all selected the proper quest and set off for the palace marked in red on their mostly blue and white maps, battling small enemy groups along the way that got bigger the further they ventured into enemy territory.

     Thor and Loki faced off against the Frost Giant King. The others were either battling other enemies, or waiting for Loki to gather enough points to heal them back to life. Footsteps stomped by in the hall, but Loki paid them no mind. They passed his room, anyway, so obviously of no concern to him. He grinned as Thor let out a loud whoop, landing a solid hit on the King. Suddenly, his character paused, rustling over the speaker indicating he moved his mic before muting it. His voice as well as his father's rose, heard through the walls. Odin was arguing with him about wasting his time with the game, and being loud about it as well -Thor rarely censored his volume around friends unless reminded, and was even louder when excited. Loki tuned them out and took out the Frost Giant King while Thor was busy, a wide malicious grin on his face as his character's spear pierced the monster's chest.

     " _(You should not play such childish games,)_ _" Odin bellowed, "_ _(and you distract your brother from his work!)_ "

     Loki rolled his eyes, but let a tiny smile lift his lips as Thor defended himself and Loki. Soon, Frigga came upstairs and guided Odin back to bed, or something; Loki didn't care where he went, just that it was now quiet and Thor's character unpaused.

     His older brother let out an undignified whine when he realized the battle was won already, but he congratulated Loki on a magnificent kill. They did a couple of small side missions before Frandral, Volstagg, and Hogun logged off. Sif stayed on to chat with Thor, so Loki politely said his goodnights and logged off.

     Stretching, he looked at the time. Deciding there was plenty of time, he went downstairs and whistled for Fenrir, scrolling through music on his mp3 player. Taking his dog for a walk always relaxed him. Especially now that he had happy memories of his dog and his new friends. He let the wolfhound lead him around as he got lost in thought, music drowning out any outside noise. It was only after he noticed the sun beginning to set that he turned them back toward the house. He let Fenrir loose from his leash and added more water to his bowl before returning upstairs to get more homework done.

     Dinner was ready soon after. Thor gave Loki a hearty slap on the back for his in-game victory, grinning, before he took the steps down two at a time, practically sliding down the bannister. Loki shook his head with a fond smile, taking a more sedate pace to the table.

     As always, dinner was a quiet meal, the consumption of food broken by " _(pass the salmon)_ " or " _(where is the salt?)_ ". Conversations, if any were attempted, were always strained and made the food taste like cardboard, so it was better to just stay silent.

     After his belly was full, Loki excused himself from the table. He dumped the extra food from his plate to Thor's, earning a quick puffed-cheeked grin from his brother, as his mouth was too full of food to speak. Loki washed his plate and silverware, then returned to his room.

     He worked for a while more on his homework. Thor clomped up the stairs some time later, shutting his door with a jarring thud. Loki could hear him talking to himself, perhaps going over whatever paperwork needed to be done, perhaps just talking to himself. The rumble of Thor's voice soon took on that annoyingly sappy tone he used whenever he was calling his new girlfriend, Jane. Loki sighed and dug in his backpack for his mp3 player, frowning when he didn't find it. Oh, wait. His face cleared when he remembered it was downstairs on an endtable, dropped there after a walk with Fenrir. He trotted downstairs to retrieve it.

     Sighting it quickly, he picked it up and scrolled through his music, decided what to listen to before he went back upstairs. A groan from the armchair made him stiffen and silently curse. Of course he would be down here. Loki resolutely ignored him, focusing on the titles scrolling by.

     " _(Who-? Oh, it's you.)_ " Odin coughed thickly as he came out of a light doze. His tone was infuriatingly neutral.

     Loki grit his teeth and muttered, " _(Go back to sleep, old man.)_ "

     " _(You were such a delightful child,)_ " was the non-reply; not that his aged hearing could have picked up on what Loki said under his breath, let alone when his brain was swimming in chemicals from the medication, " _(I don't know where your mother and I went wrong to make you what you are today.)_ "

     He sounded so...disappointed. Loki nearly cracked the screen while selecting an artist. "Bet you wish you'd never adopted me," he spat in English as he passed, shoving his earbuds in.

     Odin sighed, eyes unfocused on the space Loki had been occupying when he'd woken up. " _(_ _Still... With whatever faults you have, I am glad you are my son.)_ "

     Loki didn't hear: music blared from his earbuds as he stomped upstairs.

     Odin muttered softly as he shifted in the chair, falling back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thor plays as a battlehammer-wielding warrior  
> Loki plays a green mage. They had laughed at him at first for choosing a magic character instead of a warrior, but they always come to him for healing when their HP is low or to solve trickier puzzles.  
> Fandral is a swordsmaster  
> Volstagg is a dwarf with a battleaxe  
> Hogun is an assassin  
> And Sif is a lady warrior with hacked armor to make it more practical. she hates the armor two-piece, so she downloaded a better version
> 
> A reminder that this will be the last chapter written by both GoodShip and The Captain. All subsequent chapters will be GoodShip written only. Thank you all for your unending support, I truly appreciate it. 
> 
> As always, feel free to ask me questions or request headcanon stories on the official tumblr for this story!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome to the tiny but strong ship of Loki and Lucifer! I have not found many other Lokifer or LuLo shippers out there. I hope to find (or make perhaps?) some new shipmates; however even if you don't really think the pairing could work, please enjoy this story! Chapters up through chapter 22 were co-written by myself and a friend; all chapters onward are just written by me. I'll update when I can, but I promise no regularity.
> 
> Reviews make my heart sing with gladness! Flames and hate will be deleted (or mocked with gleeful enthusiasm). I appreciate criticism, but only of the constructive variety. Please let me know if you find an error so I may fix it; I tried to edit them all away but it is possible I missed some.
> 
> The complete story and assorted tidbits can also be found on my Tumblr page. It is the same as my username, thegoodshiplulo.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> PS, we enjoy putting in a myriad of veiled fandom references, so if you think a line is a reference it probably is. But, if in doubt, just ask and we'll explain it. There may even be bonus headcanon we'll write about it, so please speak up!
> 
> PPS, I don't pretend to be an expert on Norway. Everything I've learned is from the internet, so to any Norwegians out there, I am sorry if I get things wrong. If there is a major issue, please let me know.


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